


Give Me Therapy

by Hi_Im_Lou



Series: Give Me Therapy [1]
Category: 5 Seconds of Summer (Band), All Time Low
Genre: 5SOS - AU, Actually they're all snuggle bunnies, Anxiety, Ashton is very friendly, Band, Calum is new, Cuddling & Snuggling, Depression, Eating Disorder - Past (mentioned), Gen, I'm flesh and bone is a sad chapter, Mental Health Issues, Michael and Luke are very cuddly, Psychiatric Hospital AU, Self Harm - Past (mentioned), Separation Anxiety, Sleepy Cuddles, Therapy, Warning: Some OCs are dickish, just a warning, luke is a cutie, they all form a band, yay!
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-06-19
Updated: 2017-03-10
Packaged: 2018-02-05 09:14:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 15
Words: 30,502
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1813141
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hi_Im_Lou/pseuds/Hi_Im_Lou
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>5SOS AU set in a psychiatric hospital.</p><p>Calum is new. His parents decided to do what they think is best for him, and admitted him to 'Happy Days Hospital'. Oh the joy... Then he meets Ashton, Michael and Luke. maybe this won't be so bad?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. My Ship Went Down

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! Um, this is my first bandom fic, so please don't yell at me.  
> I am NOT an expert on mental health issues, so if I mess anything up, either let me know, or don't, but please don't yell at me for it.  
> I welcome constructive criticism but if you're mean with it, that's not cool.  
> This is going to be multi-chaptered, so a lot of time will be put into it, so I apologise for slow updates.  
> DISCLAIMER: I do not own anything to do with ATL, 5SOS, any of the individual members, only this story and any original characters.  
> That's about it, Enjoy!

Calum looked up at the sign. _Happy Days Hospital_. He snorted at the ridiculous name. Being admitted to a psychiatric hospital was never going to be an enjoyable experience, so why try to make it seem like it would be? The 18 year old sighed, hefting his bag higher on his shoulder and turning to face his family. They all had brave smiles plastered onto their faces, his mum with tears in her eyes - he waved, hugs already passed around with promises of getting better from both sides. He heard his family shuffling away as he took his first steps towards the sliding glass doors; anticipation sat hot and heavy in his stomach, slight fear reverberating around his chest. The doors slid open with a quiet _'swoosh'_ and he stepped through the gap...

Into a room he was not expecting to see. Traditional white walls (how cliché) covered in photographs of smiling - what he presumed to be - ex-patients, and some possible current patients. _Well that's unexpected._ he thought, stepping up to the front desk and smiling at the woman there. She gave him a warm smile in return, politely asking for his name and what he was being admitted for.  
"Um... My name is Calum. Hood. I'm 18, and I'm here to deal with my anxiety and tendency to suffer from insomnia." He told her quietly, suffering for far too long to feel shame over his condition - not that he should, as his parents have told him numerous times.  
A few clicks of a mouse, and the rapid clacking of keys later, the woman looked up again and gestured for him to take a seat, one of his doctors would be out to get him shortly.  
He nodded politely and sat down on the leather upholstered, surprisingly comfortable chair. _This might not be so bad..._ he thought, though his foot bouncing up and down repeatedly sent a burst of doubt through his veins. The overwhelming sense of being watched crept up on him, but Calum pushed down the urge to turn and look for the prying eyes, knowing it was simply paranoia.

The double doors at the far side of the room opened, and out stepped a relatively tall man with dark, laughing brown eyes and a close cropped hair cut. His coat had 'Dr. Dawson - Rian' stitched on the left hand side, so Calum assumed this was the doctor the woman had spoken about earlier. The man - Dr. Dawson - spotted the boy sat in the corner and made his way over to join him; a blindingly white smile falling over his features.  
Outstretching a hand which Calum took, the man introduced himself, "Hi there, Calum, right? I'm Dr. Dawson, but you can call me Rian seeing as I'm your primary physician."  
The teenager shook his hand, nodding at his name and cocking his head to one side at the mention of another doctor. "Primary? So I have more than one doctor?"  
"Just two, me and then Dr. Gaskarth, or Alex as he will be to you. We're the only two youth sector physicians in the hospital, so we actually don't have a lot of patients each. So we double up."  
Calum nodded, that made sense he guessed. The look on Dr. Dawson's - Rian's - face suggested he had more to say, so he redirected his attention back to the man.  
"You'll be on a floor with three other boys, so you've got lots of space. There's only a total of 10 patients under the youth sector, four of which - counting yourself - fall under the anxiety related disorders, or the ARD category. Unfortunately, you will have to share a room, I hope that's okay?"  
He nodded quickly. Sharing a room was fine, and if they had similar issues, his own would be easier to handle - right? Rian seemed to let out a breath of relief. "That's great, thanks for cooperating. Your roommate is Ashton, he's a great lad, very friendly. I think you'll get on well with him. I can take you to your room if you're ready. I'll save the tour for Ashton, he's been excited about a new roommate for a while now."

Calum followed the doctor through the door he came through, staring around in wonder at the surprisingly homely features of the hospital. The atmosphere was warm and soothing; the further they went, the more his anxiety levels receded. Coming to an elevator, he watched as Rian pressed the button for the sixth floor.  
"The youth sectors are floors five and six, yours is the top floor of the hospital. It's the smallest floor, and only holds a maximum of four anyway, so that's why it is the unit it is." The doctor explained briefly, striding out through the open doors once the elevator had stopped.

Passing by several closed doors, each clearly labeled, Rian finally stopped Calum at the room he would be staying in for an undetermined amount of time. He looked at the plaque to the left of the door. 'Ashton Irwin' was etched into a black piece of acrylic, the letters white, and under his roommate's name, his own was already there. 'Calum Hood'.

Knocking on the door, Rian entered after no reply, and revealed the reason for that: the room was empty. Calum moved to the unoccupied side of the room, placing his bag on the bed and toeing off his shoes. The carpeted floor felt well cushioned under his socked feet, and he used this as leverage to jump onto his bed. Rian smiled from the doorway, stepping aside to allow a tall, dark blonde haired teenager step into the room, a winning smiling and deep dimples etched into his cheeks. Soft looking curls fell over his forehead, eyes bright and alive with a happiness that seemed out of place for a hospital dealing with mental illnesses and disorders.  
"Rian! Is this my new roommate?" The boy - Ashton, if Calum remembered correctly - asked excitedly.  
Rian nodded once and replied, "Yes Ashton, this is Calum. Calum, this is Ashton. I'll leave you to get settled in. Ashton!"  
The boy in question looked up quickly.  
"Don't overwhelm him yet, okay?"  
Receiving a very enthusiastic nod in response, Rian rolled his eyes and left the room, making his way to the huge office he shared with Zack.

After closing the door, Ashton turned to Calum with a wide grin and amusement sparkling in his eyes. He quickly strode over and proffered his hand, waiting for Calum to stick out his own in turn.  
"Nice to meet you, man! As you've been told, I'm Ashton, I'm 19, been here two years, it's a pretty great place."  
Returning the grin, Calum shook Ashton's hand and responded in kind. "As you now know, I'm Calum, I'm 18, been here for about 20 minutes. This place seems rather nice."  
The older boy laughed, clapping a hand to Calum's shoulder and stating, "I like you. I think Mikey will like you too. And Lukey will eventually, but he's really bad with new people..."

Calum tilted his head in thought at the new names he'd been provided with. These 'Mikey' and 'Lukey' characters sounded about six, eight at the most, which made him wonder how young this hospital actually catered for. He was snapped out of his minor reverie when the door opened, and in stepped two boys. Well, one stepped, the other was on the carried end of a piggyback. Calum ran a hand through his dark hair as he studied them.

The one being carried looked both taller and broader, yet more fragile in a way that was only slightly unsettling. His hair was golden, a much lighter blonde than Ashton's, and when he looked over at the older boy, Calum noted the stunningly blue eyes that held an innocence that a teenager in this facility shouldn't possess; at least Calum thought they shouldn't. He turned his attention to the carrier, and was taken aback by the brightness of his hair. The green was almost overwhelming, especially offset by the pale skin it sat atop. The boy was taller than Ashton, well he would be if he wasn't slightly hunched over, but he was much less broad across the shoulders, his frame slighter. Which gave Calum a pause for the thought, _He's smaller, so why is he being the carrier?_ So he returned his attention to the taller boy. His dark eyes raked over the skinny arms and narrow legs, the tiny waist and slim torso telling Calum all he needed to know in terms of why. _Poor dude..._

The sound of cooing and a soft, calming tone flooded his senses and snapped him back to reality. He blinked once, twice before flicking his eyes to the source of the soothing sounds. It was Ashton and the green haired boy making the noises, trying to calm down the obviously distressed blonde who was tugging at his hair, his breathing erratic and painful sounding. Calum didn't know what to do, so for now he attempted to fade into the background, making himself as invisible as possible so the other boys could calm the blonde down. He listened in though, finally grasping who was who.

"Calm down Lukey, come on, calm down for me, yeah?" Green hair - 'Mikey', his mind corrected him - cooed, pulling 'Lukey' to his chest, burying his face in the other boy's bony shoulder.  
"Luke, Lukey, Luke, calm down man, it's all okay, that's just Calum!" Ashton tried to add some lightheartedness into his tone, gesturing for Calum to come closer to the huddle of teenagers. "He's my new roommate, he's really friendly."  
As Calum stepped over to the group cautiously, he offered a smile when scared blue eyes locked onto his own brown ones. He slowly extended his hand, wiggling his fingers a little, causing a tiny smile to spread across 'Lukey's' face. He spoke up then, trying to keep his tone the same as Ashton's.  
"Hey, I'm Calum. It's nice to meet you." He finally reached the blonde boy, keeping his movements slow and obvious as he took 'Lukey's' hand and shook it gently.  
He received a smile in response and a nod, his hand being shook a little firmer before the other boy retracted his hand. Calum was a little wary as to why he didn't have a verbal reply, but smiled widely nonetheless.  
Disaster averted, Ashton nudged 'Mikey', and nodded in Calum's direction.  
"Oh right! Hi, I'm Michael, but Mikey works too. I'm 18, and I've been here since I was 15." Michael stuck out his hand, grasping Calum's and quickly giving it a jerk before he turned to look at 'Lukey' for a moment. Turning back to Calum, he continued, "That's Luke. He's mute, it's not personal. He's 17, and he's been here for four years now."  
Calum nodded and responded with the same answers he gave to Ashton. "I'm Calum, 18, been here for about half an hour."

Michael laughed, and even Luke grinned a little. The yawn that escaped Luke's mouth was accompanied by a squeak that had three boys chuckling and Luke smiling too. Michael hefted Luke onto his back again, the weight of the younger boy no issue.  
"Looks like someone is tired." Ashton giggled, somehow making the sound less childish than it should've been.  
Luke only nodded sleepily in reply, pillowing his head on Michael's shoulder and shutting his eyes, long lashes fluttering over his cheeks. In his sleep, Calum thought Luke looked younger than his 17 years, and a lot more innocent. He had to resist the urge to 'aww' at the younger boy and instead took a step back with a smile. Ashton pressed a kiss to Luke's forehead, giving Michael a quick hug around Luke's legs, before opening the door and watching the two head down the corridor.

Only stepping back into his own room after he'd seen Michael struggle the door to his and Luke's room open, Ashton turned to Calum and gave him a smile.  
He offered in way of an explanation, "Luke... Luke has a few more issues than just anxiety. I mean, for one, you've seen how skinny he is. He's been here since he'd just turned 13, man, it's obvious something's still way too wrong. So that's why we're more careful with him, yeah?"  
Calum nodded. He understood, he really did. He'd barely even spent time with the other boy and he already felt a protective instinct creeping up on him. He said as much to Ashton, causing the older lad to chuckle.  
"Yeah, that's how Lukey gets ya. Flutters his eyelashes, gives you them big blue eyes and a small smile and you're suckered."  
The fondness in his tone belied any possible insult that could've been construed - not that there was any in the comment.  
Calum copied the laugh, stifling a yawn of his own and moving over to his suitcase. He unzipped it and unpacked his clothes into the drawers and small wardrobe provided for him, before grabbing some loose fitting, cut-off at the knee sweatpants and a baggy t-shirt from the pile of clothes. He scooped up his toothbrush and toothpaste then headed into the bathroom to get changed.

Emerging after cleaning his teeth and doing his business, the carpet was a welcome change from the cold tile on the 18 year old's bare feet. He looked up and saw Ashton in an attire similar to his own (although he had no sleeves). The other boy was already tucked into bed, music blaring in his ears and phone screen illuminating his face. Climbing into his own bed, Calum more or less mirrored the lad opposite him, sticking his own earphones in and pressing play. He laid back and stared up at the ceiling, thoughts running through his mind at a rapid pace.  
 _This hospital... It doesn't seem bad at all. I thought it'd be a nightmare. Even if I just make friends with Ashton, I think this'll be more bearable than I could've imagined before. Michael seems nice too, and Luke is a bit of a mystery - I want to know why he's mute. If he really can't talk or if he's an elective mute. I guess I'll find out in time..._


	2. I Was Careful and Cool

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Swearing in this chapter, and probably pretty much every chapter to come.

Calum awoke to the sound of mumbles and shuffles, a groan passing his lips as his brain attempted to wake itself up to some semblance of functioning properly. It wasn't doing a very good job. He flicked his eyes - fists curling and rubbing at them - to the other side of the room, wanting to check if Ashton was either hearing or _making_ the sounds. If it was the latter, Calum may have to kill him. Especially after he'd checked his phone, the brightness nearly blinding him, and saw that it was only 7:08AM. The fuck? Looking at Ashton, Calum decided that he would have to kill the older boy. Slowly.

Ashton was pottering - yes, actually fucking _pottering_! - around the room, getting dressed and organising his own side of the room to his apparently impeccable standards. Calum groaned and rolled over, burying his face in the pillow, adding more creases to both the pillowcase and his face.

Upon hearing the groan, the older boy turned his attention to his 'sleeping' roommate, then to the clock, and then again back to Calum. He made his way over, shaking the younger boy's shoulder just as the second hand ticked past the '12', officially marking it as 7:10AM. Calum groaned. Again.

"Ashton, why are you awake?" He muttered, voice raspy from sleep.  
"Why aren't you awake?" Ashton retorted a little petulantly, shaking Calum's shoulder once more when the other lad made no move to get up.  
"Because it's too fucking early, that's why." he snapped, a small wave of guilt crashing over him - it wasn't Ashton's fault; much.  
"Look, one of the reasons I'm here is because part of one of my main issues is that I need routine to feel safe. It makes me less nervous, I know what's going on, I freak out less and I can then focus on fun or looking after Luke and Mikey. Okay?" Ashton had looked down, fingers twiddling in front of his chest, awkwardness and embarrassment radiating from his slightly hunched form.  
Calum felt bad. It really wasn't Ashton's fault, and besides, if it made the older lad feel safer and more relaxed, then who was he to deny him of that comfort? _I suppose I'll have to get used to this..._  
"Do you wanna - maybe - tell me your routine as we go along? See if I can get the hang of it so I'm a bit more prepared for tomorrow?"  
The blinding smile he received for his question made Calum sure it was worth waking up three hours earlier than normal.

The two boys spent the next half an hour going over the schedule, the younger boy ensuring to cement as much as he could into his memory. After both boys were refreshed, dressed and ready to go, Ashton lead the way to Michael and Luke's room.

Upon entering, the two boys were met with the sight of Michael and Luke in the same bed, Ashton recognising it as Luke's. They both made their way over to the bed, noting the covers pushed down to the bottom end of the mattress; far away from the green haired boy and the youngest.  
Luke was snuggled into Mikey's side, shoulder tucked into the older boy's armpit, head nuzzled into the warm neck to his left. His long legs were drawn up to his chest, his right arm wrapped around both of his knees and all the way over to the left side of Michael's waist. His left arm had been folded between his ribs and Mikey's, the curled up position making Luke appear tiny.  
Mikey seemed pretty damn comfy with the position, sprawled down the length of the mattress, head almost thrown back and quiet snores escaping every now and then through his open mouth. His right arm was curled protectively, tightly around Luke's tiny waist, fingers gripping the material of the other boy's sleep shirt lightly. His left hand was subconsciously carding through the tufts of blonde sticking up in every direction.

It was cute.

Ashton and Calum approached the bed slowly, the oldest boy frequently checking his watch to ensure everything followed routine.  
Stubbing his toe on the corner of the chest of drawers at the end of the bed, Calum swore; the sound was enough to cause Michael to open his eyes blearily and look for the intruder.  
Noting that it was just Calum and Ashton, Mikey yawned, hugging Luke tighter. He blinked his eyes open owlishly, wide and slightly unfocused. Offering up a tired smile, he turned his attention to Ashton, and reported a little sadly, "He had a nightmare."  
"Another one?" At the nod his question received, Ashton sighed and wiped a hand over his face. "We'll... We'll deal with it later, yeah?"  
Michael nodded and hugged Luke even tighter for a second before tapping at his side lightly.  
As that was decided, Ashton checked his watch, smiling as he noticed it had just turned to 7:45AM, exactly when he usually woke Luke and Michael.

Puppy-like growls escaped pouted lips, blonde hair tickling Michael's neck as Luke buried his face further into it.  
Mikey chuckled, as did Ashton. "Come on Lukey, wake up. We can go get breakfast after you do." Ashton coaxed, tugging lightly at Luke's exposed ear.  
The youngest lad shook his head, more puppy-like grumbles leaving his throat - the only noises he willingly made. He snuggled further into Mikey's side, twitching his head to try and dislodge Ashton's gentle hold on his ear.  
"Okay I'll tell you what, Lukey," Michael started, slowly easing Luke's head away from his shoulder, "What if you get up now, and I'm sure Ashton won't mind if you go to breakfast in your pjs. Right, Ash?"  
"I can deal with it. But you have to get up now." Ashton responded, smiling widely, a teasing note to his voice.  
"There see, now come on Penguin, up you get."  
A final set of puppy growls later and Luke was stood by the bed, wobbling a little. Calum instinctively put out a hand to hold his arm and steady him, but he didn't expect the violent flinch his action received.  
Luke had snapped his arm back so quickly Calum was concerned he'd hurt his shoulder. Wide and shocked blue eyes flicked to meet his own and what Calum saw was fear. "Hey, hey, it's okay. I'm sorry I moved too fast, I just wanted to make sure you weren't gonna topple over. I'm sorry."  
Receiving a nod and shy smile in response, Calum felt relief wash over his body. He patted Luke's arm once, waiting while Michael got dressed and sorted in the bathroom.

With everyone finally ready - well, if you counted Luke in his pj shorts, sleep shirt, one of Ashton's hoodies and a pair of socks as ready - the four boys left Michael and Luke's room; Ashton and Luke holding hands, Michael with an arm draped around Calum's shoulders. They made their way to the elevator at the end of their floor, Ash pressing the button to the second floor with his free hand.  
As soon as the elevator doors opened, Michael steered Calum in the right direction, the dark haired boy hearing Ash and Luke very close behind them. Mikey directed Calum to a table. Ashton tugged Luke down next to him, keeping his arm wrapped around the youngest boy's waist.  
Calum looked around, noting how other patients seemed to sit in similar groups, as did the doctors. He spotted Dr. Dawson - Rian, he corrected himself - talking to another doctor with slightly wild hair and huge, bushy eyebrows. _Who the hell is that?! Is that Dr Gaskarth, no wait, what's his name. Aaron? Alan? Alex? Alex! That's what Rian said his name was. Wait... Is that my other doctor?!_

"Um, hey guys, who's that talking to Dr. Daws- I mean Rian. Who's he talking to?" he asked quietly, eyes flicking from Ashton to Luke to Michael and back to Ashton again.  
"Oh, that's Dr. Gaskarth. Or Alex as he is to us guys." Ashton answered, fingers tapping on the table sporadically.  
"Yeah, we're his favourites. He used to suffer from crippling anxiety, but he managed to beat it. So he has a soft spot for us in the ARD unit of the youth sector." Michael elaborated a little, grinning and waving as he caught both of the doctors' eyes.  
The two men smiled at the group of boys, Alex raising his hand to wave back at Michael and then waving once more to Luke. The blonde boy smiled shyly, lifting his own hand and giving it a little shake in return. A smile spread across both Alex and Rian's faces, before the two turned back to their coffee and bagels.

Idle chatter filled the following silence, random tidbits of personal information exchanged before Calum drew up some courage to press further.  
"So, um, if you don't, erm, if you don't mind me asking, um," he started, hesitating after the three other boys turned their attention directly to him.  
"Come on man, spit it out! We're not gonna beat you up for wanting to know stuff." Ashton laughed, grinning at the slight blush now staining Calum's tanned cheeks.  
"I was just wondering if I could know what you're all in here for. Like, you know, ARD-wise." He held his breath, waiting for the anger, the withdrawal, _something._  
"Oh! That, why didn't you just ask?" Mikey replied this time, smiling at the apparent relief on the younger boy's face. "Well, I'm in here for anxiety of the social variety, but the meds help keep that down. The other thing is separation anxiety. So expect me to be clingy on bad days, okay?"  
The last statement was said in jest, but Calum understood the underlying serious tone. Ash cleared his throat, dragging Calum's attention to him.  
"You already know how my anxiety affects me, but the other thing is my tendency to become an insomniac."  
"That's what I'm in here for too!" Calum couldn't help but exclaim.  
"That might be a reason they paired you with me. That, and the fact that last time they tried to split up Lukey and Mikey it resulted in a fist fight." Michael chuckled at Ashton's reasoning, smiling at Luke softly.  
Calum chuckled as well, accepting his responses happily. He didn't expect anything to come from Luke, but he was surprised when the other boy's spoke up about Luke's conditions. He'd noticed Michael and Ashton staring at the youngest with odd expressions, and the blue eyed boy nodding in response, but he didn't really think anything of it.  
"Lukey... Well you remember what I told you last night?"  
Calum nodded.  
"Well, he has severe social anxiety, as you saw when you two first met. Add that to his separation anxiety, and it's actually surprising he's taken to you so fast." Ash started, allowing Michael to continue.  
"He used to be bulimic, but that's in the past. We don't talk about it." The sternness in Mikey's voice was blatant, and Calum found himself nodding in response.  
Michael leant to his left, whispering in Calum's ear, "He used to self-harm as well, scratching at his wrists until they bled. But he's over that now, and we don't talk about it. Ever. He's still depressed, and his self-esteem is shot to hell, but again, we don't talk about that."  
Calum nodded once more, and directed a smile in Luke's direction as the green haired boy moved away from his ear. The youngest boy returned the smile shyly, his blue eyes wide and hopeful; for what, Calum could only assume it was acceptance. The dark haired boy nodded, and relief seemed to replace the hope.


	3. A Handful of Moments

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, I was right in the Chapter 2 notes. There's swearing in this chapter.

The friendly and quiet atmosphere was broken by the sound of approaching footsteps. Mikey and Ash looked up to see Alex and Rian making their way over to their table, the dreaded white tray sitting in Alex's hands. Calum noticed Michael's frown and turned as well, noting the four glasses of water, and the little plastic cups. He could see the silhouettes of the pills that sat in each one.  
"Morning boys!" Alex chirped, setting the tray down on the table as Rian placed a glass in front of each teenager.  
"Morning." Ashton replied. "Oh, this is Calum, Calum this is Alex, I don't think you've met him before now."  
Calum nodded and smiled at the doctor, extending a hand for the older male to shake.  
"Ah yes, number four of the youth sector's ARD unit." He looked around, pretending to be conspiring, "You are also instantly one of my favourites."  
Mikey and Ashton snickered at Alex's antics, Luke also smiling. Calum chuckled a little before eyeing the plastic cups warily.  
Spotting the dark haired boy's hesitancy, Rian quickly informed, "That's just medication. Everyone has theirs with breakfast, and some have it again later with dinner or before they go to bed."  
"Whose is whose?"  
Rian didn't respond verbally, instead setting down a plastic cup before each boy, next to the glass of water.  
Calum looked down, spying two pills - one white, one very pale blue. He saw that Ashton had the same ones, and Michael and Luke both had the pale blue one. _Ah, the white must be for helping with the insomnia, the blue for anxiety._ He noted that both Mikey and Luke also had a pink tablet, and he assumed that was for separation anxiety.  
"As soon as you guys have breakfast, we'll come take away the glasses and stuff once you've taken your medications." Alex informed, smiling and going to get a refill of coffee. Rian followed him quickly after realising his own mug was empty.

Michael grinned at the mention of food, instantly jetting from his seat over to the buffet style breakfast bar, Calum hot on his heels. Ash looked to his left and saw Luke staring after the two older boys.  
"Come on, Lukey, you know you can't take your meds on an empty stomach." He murmured into the blonde hair, standing from his seat and extending his hand to the blue eyed boy.  
Luke, true to form, didn't reply, although he did leave his seat, wrapping his fingers around Ashton's palm and pulling him towards where Michael and Calum were both filling bowls with cereal.  
Stacking a plate with enough toast for the four of them, Calum brought that and his bowl back to the table. He waited until the other three had sat down before scooping up a spoonful of Crunchy Nut Cornflakes.  
Ashton and Luke ate their Cheerios happily, the oldest boy occasionally picking up a slice of toast. Mikey ploughed through his Shreddies, even going up to get a second bowl. They spoke very little, each lad too involved in the prospect of breakfast for small talk. All too soon the cereal and toast was gone.

All four boys took their meds with no fuss, the glasses of water drained not only a moment after the last pill was swallowed. Calum stuck his tongue out, _I'll **never** get used to the aftertaste_ , and Ash laughed at him, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. Michael giggled at the mock outrage on Calum's face before it tapered off as he noted the dejected look on Luke's face.  
The green haired boy squeezed the youngest's hand under the table, smiling a little as Ashton squished Luke more tightly to his side. A large hand ruffled the blonde locks and Michael laughed at the disgruntled expression that crossed Luke's face.  
Mikey knew how much Luke hated the amount of medication he needed to take, yet he also knew how much better Luke coped while they worked their way through his system.  
Calum was well aware of the minor comfort session going on across the table. He guessed it was due to the fact that Luke had twice as many pills to take as him, Ash and Mikey - the blue eyed boy having had four tablets in his plastic cup instead of the two the others all had.  
The two doctors smiled at the lack of complaints, gratefully taking back the cups and glasses before retreating to the kitchen area of the food hall.

Calum heard rather than saw the approach of the tall, lanky individual who was stomping their way over to the table. Looking across at Ashton and Luke, he saw the older boy's beaming grin, and the blonde's widened eyes, so he turned and was only slightly surprised with the scene in front of him.  
Black hair streaked with platinum blonde flopped over and into extremely dark brown eyes. A bright smile sat under a slightly large nose, creating a sense of trust and friendship almost immediately. Unlike Rian and Alex, this new person did not wear anything resembling the hospital uniform. Black skinny jeans sat tucked inside large red trainers, a ridiculously large tongue flopping over; a black and red t-shirt hung from the man's lanky frame.  
"Lukey-Bear! Why are you in your pjs?" the as-of-yet unknown (to Calum anyways) man exclaimed in question.  
"Hey to you too, Jack!" Michael snapped jokingly, "He didn't wanna get up. Ash compromised."  
The man - _Jack! I need to get better with names..._ Calum thought - smiled slightly adoringly at Ashton and commented, "Well that was nice of him." He paused, seemingly weighing up possible reactions before continuing, "Yeah, you guys all have group therapy at 10. Today. And Lukey-Bear, you have therapy with Zack at two, okay?"  
Two groans rang out, and Calum shot a questioning look at Luke. He just shrugged and shook his head at Ash and Mikey's behaviour before nodding at Jack; the dark haired teen smiled at the fondness in the first gesture. His head snapped back to face Jack as he heard his name being called.  
"Calum, man! Rian has told me about you, and now I've met you. I'm Jack, you can call me Jack - I'm the activities coordinator."  
"I'm Calum, you can call me Calum. I'm a patient here."  
Jack laughed rather loudly, attracting the attention of some older residents of Happy Days. He stifled his chuckles into snickers, before offering a grin and a hand to Calum. The lad shook it easily and grinned back.  
"Well, I best be off, I have some stuff to plan, but I expect you to all go to G.T." He directed the last part at Michael and Ashton, before he spun on his heel and darted towards where Alex and Rian had resumed sitting, the lanky male already chattering away at a mile a minute.

Luke had curled up under Ashton's arm, cuddled into the older boy's side, head tucked into Ash's neck. Michael was smiling sadly at the scene, knowing how much Luke hated both group and individual therapy.  
Calum watched as Ashton rubbed soothing circles into Luke's back. He smiled slightly before breaking the silence.  
"So, like, what do you guys do all day? Like, normally?"  
"An excellent question, young Calum, an excellent question indeed. One we will answer through demonstration." Ash answered excitedly, jumping from his seat and stretching a little before beaming and urging the other boys up with hand gestures.  
He was met with two groans, but the younger lads all stood up anyway. Mikey leapt onto Ashton's back, jumping from the seat of his chair and wrapping his arms around the older boy's neck. His legs found their own way around Ashton's waist, until the dark blonde shifted his hold and held the green haired boy up in a piggyback.  
Luke sidled up to Calum, tactfully slipping himself into the older boy's side. Calum's arm automatically curled around the blonde's bony waist, drawing him closer and leading them after the other two lads.  
Entering the elevator, Ashton dropped Mikey, waiting until Luke and Calum were in the lift before pressing **6**. The lift shuddered into life, transporting them up to their floor, that awful yet pleasant weightless feeling filling their stomachs.

Upon the _ding!_ , the doors opened and the boys hurried out, the enclosed space causing a claustrophobic feel to wash over them. Ashton once again lead the way, listing rooms as they passed them.  
"Communal bathroom, storage cupboard, Lukey and Mikey's room, TV and games room, our room, music room. That's about it."  
"So you mostly just watch TV and movies, play video games, and music?" At the nod his question received, Calum grinned and continued, "No change to my life before I got here then!"  
Michael laughed, taking a grip on the dark eyed boy's wrist and tugging him towards the TV room, mumbles of, "I'm gonna kick your arse at FIFA" falling from his lips.

Yells and curses were already echoing down the corridor by the time Luke and Ashton got to the TV room. Sitting on the floor were Calum and Mikey, both with an Xbox controller in their hands, concentrated looks on their faces.  
"Fuck you, Hood!"  
"You'll have to buy me dinner fir- hey! Michael, you shit! Ref are you blind?!"  
"Are you kidding me right now?! What the fuck EA?!"  
"Ahaha, eat my shit Michael, look at the score now bitch- fuck!"  
Luke and Ashton sat cuddled on the sofa, the blue eyed boy curled into the oldest's side, legs slung over the other boy's lap, head resting on the broad shoulder at his disposal. Ash pulled his arm tighter around Luke, still not liking that it had been a year but he could still feel the majority of the younger lad's ribs. It didn't matter though, he had his Lukey in his arms, warm and safe. The curly haired boy repressed a chuckle at that thought. He looked up again, watching as Calum and Michael continued to argue over the game.  
"Loser gets to come cuddle Lukey, I want a game." Ashton called over, watching as the final whistle blew and Michael threw his controller down in triumph, very _maturely_ sticking his tongue out at Calum.  
The dark haired boy merely shrugged, beaming as he saw Luke reaching his arms out for him, complete with 'grabby hands'. He moved over and let Ashton take his spot next to the green haired boy, instead laying on the sofa and allowing Luke to lay between his legs, head back up on Calum's chest and the length of his spine sitting vertically on top of the dark eyed boy's stomach. _Damn, this is really comfy!_  
The next 10 minutes were spent in a split between screaming and shouting, and the soothing silence where the only sounds were the clack of controller buttons and the quiet ruffle of Calum's hands through Luke's hair. That was until...  
"What the fuck?!" Ashton and Michael yelled in unison. They turned to look at each other, and then back at the TV screen before Mikey screeched "What the actual fuck?! You beat me? _You_ beat _me_ at _FIFA_?!"  
"Looks like I di-" Ashton barely got out before a green cannonball tackled him to the floor.  
Luke's eyes shot open from their half mast position. He looked to the ruckus on the floor and rolled his eyes, them slipping fully shut as the tackle turned into play wrestling. Calum barked a laugh, watching the two older boys duke it out. A surprising half an hour later, Ashton had finally managed to pin Mikey to the floor, wrists trapped above his head and furiously kicking his legs in a plight to free himself.  
"Now, admit I beat you, and apologise for attacking me."  
"Never!" Mikey spat, still wriggling and squirming.  
"Dude, come on, we have less than an hour till G.T. and I wanna play Band Hero!" Ash whined, sitting a little heavier on top of the other boy to try and both prevent an escape, as well as gain quicker acquiescence to his requests.  
"Ugh! Fine! Sorry for tackling you because you beat me. Happy?" Michael rolled his eyes at the beaming grin and nod Ashton gave him, instead shoving himself up - in the process shoving the older boy off of him - onto his feet. He ambled over to the other side of the room, taking out the guitar controllers. He moved over to where Luke and Calum were sprawled, placing two 'guitars' on Luke's stomach; he went back to the Xbox and switched the games over. Ashton picked up the game's drumsticks and manoeuvred the drum kit into place.

The group were surprisingly in sync with each other during the round of games, each trying their hardest to outdo the others. Mikey won - obviously, the boy played all the freaking time! - but Ashton wasn't too far behind him. Calum and Luke were roughly equal, Luke just missing out on scoring even with the dark haired boy. The blonde checked his watch, poking Mikey in the arm and showing him the face and then gesturing to his attire.  
"Yes you can get changed in the five minutes we have before we need to go to G.T."  
Luke smiled gratefully, darting from the TV room and dashing to his own. He emerged two minutes later wearing a pair of black, ripped-at-both-knees, skinny jeans and the same shirt and hoodie; he'd also stuck to bare feet. Hopping onto Michael's back at the offer, Luke and the green haired boy followed after Ashton and Calum, stepping into the elevator and pressing the button which would take them to the floor where Group Therapy was held.


	4. Give Me Therapy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SURPRISE!! Turns out, I actually have awesome wifi on holiday, and I've been itching to post this new chapter for like two days, so here you guys go!
> 
> I am now also taking prompts to note down, and maybe even make a start on, but I understand if you guys want to wait until Give Me Therapy is finished so you don't prompt something already told in the original/main story.
> 
> Anyways, enjoy my darlings!
> 
> WAIT! I forgot to say earlier, there's swearing in this chapter.

The elevator doors opened and the boys fled the confined space, Luke's bare toes curling as they hit the cooler air of the hospital's second floor. Mikey hitched the blonde a little higher, keeping a tight grip on the younger boy. They walked toward the end of the corridor, taking a left and then left again to see a group of four others standing outside a large mahogany coloured door. Calum saw Michael and Ashton frown at the group, guarded defences clouding their normally bright eyes; Luke had buried his face in the juncture between Mikey's neck and shoulder, his nose barely visible to anyone standing behind the green haired boy.

The group didn't comment, just barely cast scathing looks over the newcomers before turning their attention back to their previous conversation.  
The four boys stood in companionable silence, Ashton rubbing his hand up and down Luke's arm - the one that wasn't wrapped around Mikey's neck. Calum looked up at the sound of approaching footsteps, the tell tale squeak of converse worn for too long giving away one of the new arrivals' footwear.

Approaching the two groups of four were yet another two teenagers - _Didn't Rian say there were 10 in the Youth Sector?_ \- and a woman who looked friendly enough, a warm smile and kind eyes taking up just less than a third of her face.  
As the trio grew closer, the teen duo stopped, yet the woman continued through the mass of bodies, pulling out a set of keys and unlocking the door. She held it open as she ushered in the group, gesturing for them to sit on the myriad of coloured cushions littering the floor in a roughly hashed out circle.  
Seeing that his three friends had taken the pillows closest to the door, Calum sat down on the purple cushion next to Ashton, Luke sandwiched between Mikey's orange pillow and Ash's red one; the blonde sat atop a blue cushion. Looking up found the group previously glaring at them sat on the opposite side of the room, whereas the late arrivals acted as a barrier, the boy and girl sitting across from one another.

As the woman took her own seat on a padded chair, notebook splayed open on her lap, the boy sitting next to Calum leaned over and whispered, "Hey, I'm Tyler, but I prefer Ty."  
Turning with a smile, Calum replied, "I'm Calum, you can probably tell I'm new."  
Ty nodded, shaking the dark eyed boy's proffered hand and muttering, "Nice to meet you."  
Just as Calum was about to respond with a pleasant agreement, the woman cleared her throat, tightened her ponytail of dark brunette hair, and for some reason projected her voice, "Hi there everyone, me again!"  
Calum tried not to laugh at how both Ashton and Michael (along with nearly every other Youth Sector patient) rolled their eyes and groaned silently.

"As pretty much all of you know, I'm Clara, I'm the G.T. leader here at Happy Days. We have a new patient! He's 18, and his name is..." She trailed off, checking her notes before continuing, "Calum Hood. Where are you, Calum? Give us a wave."  
Reluctantly and slowly, the dark haired boy raised his hand, jerking it once in a semblance of a wave before his arm dropped back to sit on his crossed legs.  
"Wonderful!" Clara chirped, "Well now we know where you are, we need to get to know you, and you need to get to know everyone else. Let's start with..." She trailed off once more, seemingly scanning the room before her hazel eyes landed on Luke. "Let's start with Luke."  
Calum noted how the younger lad's leg twitched uncontrollably, noted how both Mikey and Ash had grabbed one of the blue eyed boy's shaking hands, noted how distressed the blonde looked and instead the tanned boy spoke up.  
"Um, I'm part of the ARD Unit, I already know Luke, Michael and Ashton."  
Clara only looked mildly upset, which was more than a little confusing, _Did she want to force Luke to talk or something?_ , before instead turning her attention to the boy to Calum's left, with a nice, "Okay then! Tyler, why don't you tell Calum about yourself?"

And so it went, each teenager introducing themselves with as little information as Clara would let them get away with.  
The mousy brown haired boy sighed, almost acting as if he'd gone through the routine countless times - he probably had. "I'm Tyler, Ty is cool too. I'm 19, and I'm here for my IED. I like footie, rugby and golf."  
The girl on Michael's other side brushed her blonde curls away from her face, her almost skeletal frame letting Calum know what she was 'in for'. Her dark eyes met Calum's with a lovely smile before she spoke with a soft voice, "Um, I'm Leoni, I prefer Lee though, and I'm also 19. Bulimic, but I'm recovering. I love to dance, especially ballet."  
Clara nodded at those responses, gesturing next to the group of four remaining. A ginger haired boy spoke up first, "Nick. 19. Bipolar."  
Realising that was all that was forthcoming from the 19 year old, the G.T. leader motioned for one of the two remaining girls to speak up. A raven haired girl with dark, almost black, eyes spoke up next, picking at her black painted nails as she introduced herself. "I'm Chloe. I've got schizophrenia. I'm 20 years old. I'm bored, can I go now?"  
The boy beside her snickered before repeating the exact same statements, but with his own details. "I'm Cameron. I've got IED. I'm 20 years old. I'm bored, can I go now?"  
Clara rolled her eyes and told them 'no, you cannot.' before allowing the final patient to speak. The girl looked the oldest there, obviously on the far end of the Youth Sector bracket. She tugged a little on her short cropped hair, moving her Mohican haircut into a more styled position. Twitching her nose, the ring looped through the left side moving with the action, she muttered boredly, "I'm Maria, anorexia as if you couldn't already tell. I'm 21, and only have a month and half until I'm out of this shitty Youth Sector."  
The woman on the chair frowned at the foul language, but chose not to address it. Turning to Calum, she offered a smile and exclaimed, "Well that's everyone! Glad we're all acquainted now."

The rest of group therapy was as uneventful as the start of it. All Calum really learnt from the experience was that Clara really, _really_ enjoyed picking on Luke. A lot. Any question she had, or comments she wanted in response, **boom!** straight to Luke.  
Of course, she never got her desired response. All Luke needed to do was look at Mikey or Ash, and they'd answer for him. The tanned boy saw how irritated the two older boys got the more the woman kept picking on the blonde boy - the subtle downward twitch of their mouths all the indication Calum needed.  
As the session wound down an exhausting hour and a half later, Ashton and Michael's annoyance reached fever pitch as Clara apparently had the audacity to go over to Luke (everyone else already occupied with their own conversations) and more or less hiss at him, "You need to start talking, you little shit. They're questioning my abilities because of you!"  
Calum saw both Tyler and Leoni tense at her words, and he could already tell that both 19 year olds cared about Luke. Ashton glared at the woman, Michael wrapping an arm around Luke and hissing back at her, "Oh are they now? Why doesn't that surprise me?"  
The brunette stood up, huff in place and she turned on her heel, stalking to the door and opening it. She plastered an obviously fake smile on her face before chirping, "I'll see you same time next week guys!"

Gladly leaving the room, Ashton pulled Luke into a hug, brushing a hand through the blonde tresses and pressing a quick kiss to his temple. Releasing the youngest boy from his grip only to snatch him back a moment later, Ash tugged Luke with him so the oldest four members of the Youth Sector could pass by them. A tap on his shoulder dragged Calum's attention to the two older teens stood behind him. "Yeah?"  
"Oh, um, we were just wondering if-" the girl - Leoni - stopped, the boy - Tyler - seamlessly finishing her sentence, "we could talk to Luke. We hate it when Clara does that to him, we-" Leoni took over again, "wanted to ask if he was okay."  
Calum blinked. He blinked again, answering, "Oh yeah, Ty and Lee, right?" At their nods he continued, "Yeah, sure."  
He sidestepped, allowing them to pass by him. He saw Mikey smile and watched Luke allow them to hug him. Leoni pressed a kiss to his cheek, and Luke flushed an adorable shade of pink, before the couple walked away with linked hands; Ashton waved them off.  
Grabbing one of Calum's hands, Michael gently took one of Luke's before pulling them both back the way they originally came - the blue eyed boy quickly snatched up Ash's hand, not wanting him to get left behind.

They made it back to their floor, Michael gleefully dragging the three other boys after him. He led them into his and Luke's room, before disentangling his hand from Calum's. Pulling Luke with him, he sat on his bed, folding the blonde boy under his arm. Ashton did the same with Calum on Luke's bed.  
The boys sat in a companionable silence, the near silent ruffle of Luke and Calum's hair the only sound that permeated the quiet. Luke turned in Michael's arms, snuffling into his shoulder as his eyes slipped closed, long, dark eyelashes fluttering against pale cheeks. The green haired lad smiled indulgently, and shifted to lay on the bed flat. Luke's startled yap as he slipped down so his head was on Mikey's chest made the two boys on the other bed chuckle, Ashton pouting teasingly at the slightly affronted look on Luke's face. They returned to the comfortable quiet, all four boys content in just cuddling for as long as they wanted to.  
"What time is it?" Ashton's voice broke the quiet just under half an hour later.  
Checking his watch, Calum replied, "Nearly ten past 12. Why?"  
A smirk broke out over the curly haired boy's face. "Lunch!"  
Puppy growls and a groan floated over from the other bed, Michael grumbling, "We're not moving. Too comfy."

Taking a seat in the food hall, Mikey's head thunked onto the table at exactly 12:10PM, his eyes closed as he huffed angrily. _I can't believe Ash had to trick him and Luke into coming for food._ Calum thought, watching as Luke folded his endless legs under himself, curling up small. Ashton beamed at two of the younger boys, still laughing about his victory.  
"I hate you." It was muffled, but they all heard Michael's statement clearly.  
Ashton just laughed harder, reaching over and messing up the green locks sticking up from the back of Mikey's head. He received a swat to the wrist and a scowl in response, the second eldest lad lifting his head. The oldest just laughed again and fled from the table, shooting across the room to the safety of the buffet bar. Mikey scowled after him but stood up nonetheless, his hunger making itself known in the rumbles his stomach made - the smile on Luke's face transformed Mikey's scowl into a tiny grin.  
Luke nodded at Calum, waving a hand in the direction of Ashton and food. The dark haired boy nodded and stood up, shaking his head as he heard Ash's cackle from the other side of the room. The three boys joined the oldest at the buffet bar, Calum's eyes widening at the range of choices. He settled on a ham and cheese ciabatta, politely accepting the offer to have it toasted for him.  
Sitting back at the table, he was joined by Ashton, Luke and then Michael (in that particular order.) He noted how both Luke and Mikey had opted for similar choices as him, Luke's ham and cheese panini toasted and accompanied by a small pile of carrot sticks and cucumber; Michael's own toasted bacon and cheese sandwich had a side of celery sticks and a banana. Ashton... Well, Ashton had gone for a completely different option. Cold pasta, in the shape of bow ties mind you, tuna, mayonnaise and sweetcorn - normal enough, right? Wrong. He'd covered the entire plate in ketchup. Then he'd mixed it all together.  
Luke ate his own lunch with his nose wrinkled in slight disgust, avoiding looking up at Ashton - the older boy sitting across from him - as much as possible. Of course though, it was Michael who commented on it first.  
"Dude, how can you even _look_ at that, let alone _**eat**_ it as well?"  
Ashton smirked, taking a huge forkful of his lunch and stuffing it in his mouth. He chewed slowly, waiting until he'd swallowed before replying, "Like that."  
Calum's own nose scrunched up in response. He caught Luke's smile in his direction, tossing back a wink and then beaming as Luke's smile widened to a grin. He heard the slap of flesh on flesh and saw Michael punching Ashton a second time before the green haired boy stood up.  
"He's putting me off my food."  
"I know what you mean." Calum agreed, standing up also, and picking up his now empty plate.  
Ashton finished off the last of his pasta, stacking it on top of Luke's empty one and lifting up both. He stood, collecting both Calum's and Michael's plates as well, before sticking his tongue out and taking them back towards the kitchen hatch. He placed them on top of the growing pile of crockery, turning on his heel and more or less marching back to the table.

He sat back down, waiting for the other boys to copy his movement. Calum sat first, curious as to what Ash's intentions were, Mikey sitting himself next to Ashton once more. Luke stood for a moment longer before wedging himself quite contently under Calum's arm; the dark eyed boy didn't mind at all.  
"So why're we sitting again?"  
"I thought, considering this is only his _second_ day, we could all get to know Calum better, and he could get to know us more too."  
Calum smiled a little bashfully, nodding along with Ashton's reasoning and looking up at the older boy for guidance. "So what now?"  
Surprise crossed Ash's features, before he shook his head to relieve himself of his stupor, and he asked, "What's your favourite movie?"  
The next hour and a quarter was spent learning each other's favourites, likes and dislikes: Calum loved Vegemite; Luke's favourite movie was Mean Girls; Ashton held a particular fondness for bandanas; Michael cried when Marley died in Marley  & Me - to name a few.

After returning to their floor, the group decided to spend their time in Calum and Aston's room. Taking a seat on Ashton's bed, Luke curled onto his side, biting at his bottom lip in worry. From his spot on Calum's bed, Michael frowned sadly, sharing a look with Ash and nodding his head in Luke's direction. The eldest nodded, diving onto his bed, and nearly bouncing Luke off it. Mikey and Calum both laughed at the startled look on Luke's face as Ashton yanked him back to the safety of the centre of the mattress. Their amusement was unfortunately short lived as there was a triple knock on the door before it opened.  
Alex poked his head into the room, sad smile in place as he tossed a quick wave at all four boys.  
"Hey guys. So, yeah, Luke. You know the drill mate, come on." Alex had genuine regret and even slight anguish reflecting in his eyes, his smile dropping in guilt as he saw Luke's face crumple with something akin to pain.  
 _Alex obviously really cares..._ Calum thought as he watched Mikey leap from the bed to envelope Luke in a hug. As Ashton wrapped his arm around his, quote: "Lukey-Bear-Snuggly-Bum", he quirked a smile. _And of course Mikey and Ash do too._ He caught the bright blue eyes looking at him, and he extended his own arms towards the now standing Luke. Encasing the skinny boy, he pressed his cheek to the top of Luke's head briefly before the blonde reluctantly pulled away.  
Taking the youngest lad's hand delicately, Alex then held it tightly enough to be reassuring, but loose enough for Luke to feel he had freedom. He led the teenager out of the room, tossing another wave at the three remaining boys.

In the first ten minutes after Luke's departure, the boys sat in silence. Then, as usual, Ashton leapt to his feet, suggesting, "Video games?"  
"Alright," Mikey accepted gladly, happy that something would keep them occupied until the blonde returned. "But no FIFA."  
Calum chuckled. "How about Left 4 Dead 2? Do you guys have that?"  
Michael and Ash shared a look, then a grin. "I like this one, he has good taste." Mikey teased, poking Calum in the ribs gently.  
Grinning, the dark haired boy followed after the two older teens, and once in the 'TV and Games Room', plonked himself down in front of the TV and snatched up a controller. He could already feel a smile pulling at his lips when he was joined by the other two, and by the end of the hour his cheeks hurt like hell.

The quiet _'snick'_ of the door closing went unheard by all, but the sound of a body dropping onto the sofa didn't. Each boy turned to see Luke stretching out on the cushions before curling back into a ball and pillowing his head on the arm of the sofa. Michael switched off the TV and console whilst Calum and Ashton joined Luke on the sofa, sandwiching the blue eyed lad between them.  
More or less hoisting him upright, Ashton manoeuvred the youngest to his liking; i.e. head on Calum's chest, thighs and knees on Ashton's lap, and his feet in Mikey's. No one else had a problem with the arrangement.  
It only took 20 minutes for the slight snuffly quality of Luke's sleep-breathing to fill the quiet of the room. Ash and Calum shared a smile as Luke nuzzled closer to the two of them. Mikey on the other hand frowned a little, jealousy obvious as he stood from his place on Ashton's right. He nodded to the two other boys as he scooped Luke into his arms, muttering a quiet, "I'm gonna go tuck him into bed."  
The curly haired boy murmured, "I'm gonna go check on both of them and then I'll be right back."  
Calum simply nodded, tipping his head back and letting it rest against the back of the sofa. His own eyes slipped shut, breathing evening out as he too fell asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just so you know, it is _HIGHLY UNLIKELY_ that chapters will ever get this long again.


	5. I'm A Walking Travesty

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I know I said 10-ish and it's nearly 11 but I had to pack.

Calum awoke to the feeling of eyes on him. Blinking and rubbing at bleary hues, he eventually managed to focus on Ashton's face. Ashton's face which was way, **way** too close. _Jesus H Christ!!_  
"Ash, back up man, what the fuck?!"  
After a quick cackle - _It legitimately sounds like something a witch would let out after a successful spell or something!_ Calum thought - Ashton just replied, "You fell asleep. But it didn't take you long to notice I was staring at you. Only like 30 seconds. Impressive."  
"Thanks?" The dark haired teen really had no idea what to say to that.  
"You're welcome, now come on. I wanna show you the music room."  
Ashton tugged on Calum's hand, the eldest lad pulling the other boy along behind him as he dashed down the corridor; he may or may not have nearly yanked Calum over several times...

Throwing open the door and turning on the lights, Ash spread his arms out, showing off the room in all its glory.  
Although the room was small, it housed a baby grand piano in the far left corner, its sleek black surface reflecting the light and looking as magnificent as it deserved to. Guitars, both electric and acoustic, lined the left wall, each one on its own stand, the variation of colours was astounding. A full size drum kit sat in the far right corner against the right wall, a few cajons stacked atop one another actually in the corner so as they didn't topple down. Calum noted the black tape stuck to the kick drum, 'Ash' spelt jaggedly. Despite all this, it was what was lined against the wall with the door that caught Calum's attention - basses. _Acoustic and electric? Sweet!_

While Calum darted to his instrument of choice, Ashton flopped over onto the corner sofa in the closest left corner, sinking into the cushions with a content sigh. He watched the glee run over the younger boy's features as he smoothed his fingers over each bass lovingly. A smile tweaked up the corners of Ash's mouth as Calum finally picked up a guitar. The light coloured body with a dark red neck, definition and edging - weirdly enough - looked... Right, in the dark haired boy's hold.  
"Do you play?" Ashton's question startled Calum half to death and he said as much.  
"Jesus, you scared me!" He frowned before grinning a little with his next reply, "But yeah, I do. You want a demonstration?"  
At the older boy's nod, Calum's fingers deftly moved over the strings, playing the baseline of one of his favourite songs; Blink 182 - I Miss You.

After he'd stopped playing, he looked up to see Ashton grinning at him, "What?"  
"You're good. Really good."  
Fighting the urge to blush, Calum nodded his thanks and asked in return, "So, do you play anything?"  
Ash leapt to his feet, striding across the room and standing in front of the drum kit and tower of cajons. "Ta-da! Drums. My speciality."  
The dark eyed lad laughed, gesturing for Ashton to play something. He was met with some freestyle that tapered into the tell tale drum beat of Queen's, We Will Rock You. Clapping once Ash had finished, Calum laughed once more as the curly haired boy stood up and bowed.

Out of nowhere, Ashton exclaimed, "We should form a band!"  
The sudden shout nearly had Calum falling over; he hadn't realised Ashton had moved to stand right next to him. Carefully placing the bass back where he found it, the tanned boy turned back to face Ashton. "There's two of us."  
Actually face-palming, the older lad elaborated, "No, the four of us. Michael plays guitar, and he's a pretty good singer. Wait, do you sing?" At Calum's hesitant nod, he grinned and continued, "Awesome!"  
"Does Luke play anything?"  
"Guitar and piano. Oh! And he may be mute, but damn if he can't sing. He's amazing."  
Calum grinned at the praise Ash gave Luke, nodding his head and suggesting, "Why don't we tell the others at dinner?"  
"That's a good idea," he checked his watch, noting how long there was until dinner. "We'd best go wake them up actu-"  
The sound of the door opening cut him off abruptly, and Calum didn't recognise the man at the door.  
"Ash. It's Luke. Mikey needs help." the "unknown" man said.  
Ashton paled and grabbed the younger boy's hand, rushing from the room and more or less dragging Calum after him.

Skidding to a halt in front of Luke and Michael's room, Ashton opened the door and winced at the sight before him.  
Luke was in the throes of a night terror, pitiful whimpers and cut off screams managing to escape his tightly closed mouth. The youngest teen was thrashing in his bed, spare pillows thrown to the floor and his covers encasing his legs.  
Michael was stood to the side of Luke's bed, the blonde's thrashing making it near impossible to sit next to him and snuggle him back to calm. The green haired boy was wringing his hands in his shirt, a sad expression covering his face. His reassurances didn't seem to be having their usual effect. He looked to Ashton with worried eyes, gesturing almost wildly at Luke in despair.

Thinking over the best possible approach to the situation, Ash moved to the head of the bed cautiously - he could see bruises forming on Luke's skeletal wrists, no doubt a product from random tosses that launched his arms at the edge of the bedside table.  
Taking a gentle grip on the bony wrists - Ashton was upset he could easily hold them in one hand with room to spare - he used his other hand to stroke through the tufts of blonde that stuck up in every direction. The movement seemed to instantly ease Luke's tension, the struggles and whimpers all but stopping completely.  
Calum had slid over to Mikey, wrapping his arm around his shoulders in a comforting squeeze. He looked over and saw the still unknown (to him) man smile at Ashton and then leave the room, muttering something along the lines of, "Alex and Rian need to know..."

The youngest lad was still whimpering sporadically, tears leaking from his firmly shut eyes. Ashton sighed, running a hand through his curls before a metaphorical lightbulb lit above his head.  
"Mikey, grab your guitar. Calum come here."  
The two younger boys did as asked, Mikey leaving the room and returning not a minute later with -what Calum assumed was - his favourite guitar.  
"Mikey, play something soft, soothing. Calum, sing."  
Both of the other lads stared at Ashton like he was insane, however they complied when Luke let out another heartbreaking whimper. At a loss of what to do, Calum sang the first thing he could think of as Mikey played.

"Give me therapy," he looked up to see the other boys nodding for him to continue, "I'm a walking travesty, but I'm smiling at everything."  
Ash moved to the other side of Luke's bed, Michael moving to stand next to Calum.  
Hardly thinking over the next line, the dark haired boy sang on. "Therapy... You were never a friend to me, and you can take back your misery."  
Looking down found that Luke had shuffled closer, Calum's voice seemingly fighting away the night terror. The dark eyed teen looked up, silently asking the older boys if it was okay for him to sit on the bed. Ash rolled his eyes and nodded, gesturing for him to keep singing. Luke's (almost) displeased snuffle had Michael stifling a laugh as his fingers automatically started strumming again.  
After sitting down, Calum found himself trapped as the blue eyed boy slung an arm over his lap, and the other arm around his waist. He kept singing nonetheless, repeating all he could think of.  
"Therapy... I'm a walking travesty, but I'm smiling at everything."  
As the younger teen snuggled into his hip, a smile did spread itself across the dark eyed boy's face.  
"Therapy... You were never a friend to me." He tapered off as Luke's breathing evened and the grip on his hips slackened, "And you can choke on your misery..."

The notes trickled away, more and more time slipping between each one until the room was filled with silence, not even the sound of Luke's breathing audible. Calum's hand lifted automatically, carding itself through the blonde tresses beside him.  
Whilst Calum's attention was on Luke, Michael and Ashton shared a look of agreement: Calum was one of them now. They tossed a smile at each other before looking back to see Calum shifting upwards to sit against the headboard.  
About to question why, Mikey stopped when he saw Luke wiggling to sit up, rubbing balled up fists at his eyes, trying to wake up. He pouted as he yawned, and fluffed up his hair, not knowing how much of a mess it actually was - and how he was only serving to ruffle it more.  
He looked adorable, and not one of the older boys could deny it. Michael couldn't resist but to say it aloud.  
"Look at you, Penguin! You're all fluffy and adorable!"  
If looks could kill...

Michael would not be dead. The blush that tinted Luke's cheeks and ears was precious. He'd looked down, biting at his bottom lip, bashful. The green haired boy cooed, laughing as Luke only blushed more.  
Copying Mikey as he took a seat on the blonde's bed, Ash shared a look with Calum and nodded, and together, the two told them about the band idea.  
"Okay, so guess what I found out earlier!" Ash enthused, no hesitation at all.  
Luke merely looked at him curiously, leaning back and slotting himself under Calum's arm. Michael, on the other hand, responded, "That you're a girl?! Called it!"  
Ashton glared while the other two grinned, Calum fist bumping the slightly older boy.  
"No! And I'm not! No, I found out Calum here plays bass, and as he's shown you, he can sing." The smug smile that covered Ash's features almost suited him. Almost.  
"Really?" And at the nod he received, Mikey continued, "Did Ash show you his drumming?" At another nod, the 18 year old whooped. "Awesome! Lukey plays guitar and piano, and he's an awesome singer. I play guitar, which you already knew, and I sing a bit."  
"Yeah, Ash already told me."  
Luke frowned a little, and Mikey glared at the oldest lad. "Dude! You couldn't let us tell him?"  
The curly haired boy held his hands up defensively, "I'm sorry, I got excited, okay? He went straight for the bass, I couldn't help it!"

Several eye rolls later, Michael was officially on board with the idea. Luke... Well Luke wasn't. At all.  
"Come on Lukey, why don't you wanna be in the band?" Ash _didn't_ whine, he didn't.  
Luke just shook his head vehemently again.  
Huffing a slightly sad sigh, Michael asked, "Please? Pretty please, Lukey? No one would watch! It'd just be for the four of us, that's it. No one else would see or know." Sensing the younger boy's resolve crumbling, he added, "You know that that song you wrote is missing a bass, you know that."  
The blue eyed boy glared, actual heat entering his eyes as Michael used that against him. So, maturely, he stuck his tongue out.  
Mikey couldn't help but laugh, "He's in. And now we have two original songs to work on." He beamed.  
"Two?"  
"Yes, Ashton, two. Luke's, and Calum's."  
"Mine?" Calum asked, confusion written across his features.  
"Yeah! You're crazy if you think we're leaving that song unfinished!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I will be going away for 4 days this week, but I'm back on Friday. This means I won't be able to write anything for Chapter 6 from Monday to Thursday due to no phone. BUT if you're lucky, and if I get one, on Sunday you will get a prompt AND the next chapter of GMT.
> 
> (I don't care if this sounds desperate and pathetic, please please please send me prompts GMT related or just 5SOS in general (no smut though) I'm begging you)


	6. But I'm Smiling at Everything

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am a shit. I am sorry for being a shit.

Dragging Luke and Calum behind him, Mikey marched the group to the music room, gently pushing Calum over to the basses, and then letting Luke curl up beside him on the sofa; the neck of Luke's favourite guitar already resting against the edge of the arm. The eldest made his way over to the stack of cajons, selecting the top one - coincidentally his favourite - before carrying it back to where Michael, Luke and now Calum were sitting. The green haired boy left his seat momentarily, fetching another guitar then returning to the sofa, pausing only to hand Luke his.

"Wait, what're we doing?" Calum asked, looking around at the other lads before focusing his attention on Mikey. _He's the one who dragged me in here after all..._  
"Well, my dear boy, we are to first play, write down and then repeat the song we started in mine and Lukey's room, and secondly follow it with some more song."  
 _That sounds simple enough, I guess..._ Calum thought idly, fingers unconsciously plucking at the bass strings.  
Ashton caught the movement, his own hands tapping away at the cajon softly, a solid, rhythmic beat filling the quiet. Noting how Mikey had started to play the chords he had when Calum had been put on the spot, the drummer matched the beat to the soothing tones of the two guitars.  
The music flowed from the instruments, swirling together and surrounding the boys in a cacophony of melodies. The consistency of the drum box, the grounding of the bass, the lilting of the guitar, it all came together. Then it happened.

The sound of someone clearing their throat echoed over the top of the music, yet it didn't act as a hindrance. And neither did Luke's voice when he surprised then with original lyrics.  
"My ship went down... In a sea of sound... When I woke up alone, I had everything..."  
The slightly raspy quality from continuous disuse should've taken a good performance away from Luke, but it only served to match the song perfectly. Calum was mesmerised.  
 _Both Mikey and Ash said how good a singer he is. They never said **this** good._ the dark eyed boy thought as his fingers nearly faltered.  
"A handful of moments, I wish I could change... And a tongue like a nightmare, that cut like a blade... In a city of fools, I was careful and cool... But they tore me apart like a hurricane... A handful of moments, I wish I could change, but I was carried away..." Luke stopped after that, unsure of Calum's reaction, and unsure of how to continue.

Mikey and Ash exchanged grins, the green haired boy instantly snatching up the pad of paper someone had carelessly thrown onto the side table, as well as the pen beside it. He quickly scribbled down his own chords, then passed the pad to Ashton so he could write down his own drum lines. As soon as the curly haired lad teen had finished, he passed the paper and pen to Calum. Well, he tried to.  
The tanned lad was still in a state of minor shock, unable to get over how great Luke's voice sounded. _Well, that determines he's electively mute..._  
"Calum? Earth to Cal? Dude!" Mikey snapped, exasperated but amused at the younger boy's response to Luke's singing.  
Snapping out of his daze, Calum numbly took the notepad and scrawled down his bass line, handing the paper back to the green haired lad when he'd finished.  
Luke had snatched up his own notebook, adding the new set of lyrics to a blank page before turning to face the rest of the boys, eyes wide and questioning.

"We need to keep going with that!" Ashton exclaimed, eyes gleaming while he grinned like mad.  
"Definitely, dude! I mean, Lukey's voice is perfect for the first verse and the bridge, when we get there. Calum has the chorus down and we could do back up for it." Mikey continued from Ash's train of thought.  
"Yeah! And Cal could do the second verse as well, before finishing the song too."  
The two youngest just sat there, staring bewilderedly between the older boys. Then Luke shook his head vehemently, blonde quiff shifting dramatically with the movement. He gnawed at his bottom lip when the other three boys turned to stare at him.  
"What do you mean? Penguin, you heard how awesome that was, right?" Michael asked gently, shifting so he was sat next to Luke, wrapping an arm around his shoulders.  
"Lukey-Bear, come on! How great would this be for us? For you?!" Ash inquired, tilting his head like a curious puppy would.  
The blue eyed boy's eyes just cast themselves downwards, avoiding looking at any of the older boys; his head followed the movement of his eyes, chin tucking into his chest.

It was here Calum snapped out of his trance. He grabbed Luke's face gently, careful not to bruise the barely there flesh of his cheeks, thumbs slotting under the blonde's highly pronounced cheekbones, and stared him straight in the eyes.  
"You need to have more faith in yourself." Was all he said before letting go, instead placing his hands on top of Luke's shoulders.  
"Luke, you are an amazing singer, and the fact you made all of that up on the spot, and it fits so well and sounds so right is astounding! You have to believe us."  
It seemed like the creeping note of pleading in his voice was enough to convince Luke, and a bashful smile crossed the youngest lad's face.

With that metaphorically sorted, Michael cast expectant glances around at the rest of the group. Rolling his eyes, Ashton immediately picked up the drum beat, tapping at his cajon and waiting for the other lads to join in. Instantly the room was filled with sound as they ran through what they already had written down, Luke singing the verse, Calum taking over the chorus - Michael's voice quietly in the background - whilst Luke's guitar joined too.  
They added Luke's guitar lines to the pad of paper, as well as the lyrics for the chorus to Luke's notebook, before they racked their brains for the next part of the song. Suddenly, three of the four were playing again as Luke waved his hand, showing he had something.  
"My lungs gave out... As I faced the crowd... I think that keeping this up could be dangerous..." He paused, thinking over the next line, "I'm flesh and bone... I'm a rolling stone... And the experts say I'm delirious..."  
As Luke stopped singing, and instead started playing, the other boys switched to their chorus lines, Calum picking up the lyrics.  
"Give me therapy... I'm a walking travesty, but I'm smiling at everything... Therapy... You were never a friend to me, and you can take back your misery..."

Silence descended once more, not one of the boys overly confident on a bridge for the song. They all placed down their instruments, Michael's stomach grumbling. Ashton checked his watch and his eyes widened as he saw it read 5:16PM.  
"Guys, it's like 10 minutes before dinner. That means we've been playing for about an hour."  
"I think it's made me work up an appetite!" Mikey joked, patting his stomach and standing from the sofa, stretching out his back and arms.  
"I know what you mean. Now that you've mentioned dinner, I'm so hungry!" Calum also stood, but he made his way over to place the bass back on its stand.  
Ashton pulled Luke to his feet, slinging the taller boy onto his back easily. He piggybacked him towards the door, waiting for Calum to step ahead and open said door, and for Mikey to step behind to close the door once they'd all left the room.

Strolling down the corridor, Luke outstretched a hand towards Michael, the green haired lad grasping the blonde's fingers gently. Happy with that, the youngest then held his other hand out to Calum, grinning a little when the tanned boy interlocked their fingers. Face tucked into Ashton's neck, Luke was content until he heard footsteps that didn't belong to his friends.  
Both Alex and Rian were making their way towards them, concern etched on their faces. They stopped just in front of the group of boys, eyes scanning the teenagers' expressions.  
"Zack told us Luke had another night terror?" Rian informed them, though it sounded more as if he was looking to be informed.  
Michael nodded in affirmation, causing the two doctors to exchange yet another worried glance.  
"Luke?" Alex directly addressed the blue eyed boy, causing said boy's head to shoot up. "Do you need another change to your medication?"  
Believing the vehement head shake as his answer, Alex smiled and nodded. He then asked, "You're definitely okay now though?"  
His smile widened to a grin as Luke nodded happily in reply.  
"Good, that's good. We'll let you get to dinner now, boys." Rian said, stepping aside to let the group pass.  
The four of them all nodded their thanks, continuing down the corridor to the elevator.

Entering the dining hall just led to splitting headaches for all. It seemed as if every patient had decided to eat then, and not earlier or later as would've been preferable to the boys. However, surprised as they were, they managed to get their usual table, Ash sitting Luke atop of it before the blonde slid into his seat beside Michael. Calum sat opposite Luke, leaving the eldest to sit across from Mikey.  
Dinner was overtaken by a discussion of where the song could go, bridge suggestions being thrown left, right and centre. In the end, they settled for waiting until they were back in 'their' music room.  
An hour later saw Luke and Calum clearing away plates and cutlery, before they returned to the two older boys and the group went back to their floor.  
Returning to the music room, each lad grabbed their own instrument, sitting back on the sofas - Ash on his cajon - playing a few riffs here and there. Luke plucked at the strings of his guitar, a brand new melody forming under his fingertips. A metaphorical lightbulb lit above Calum's head, and he started to sing.  
"Arrogant boy, love yourself so no one has to... They're better off without you."  
Luke repeated the last line, "They're better off without you."  
"Arrogant boy, cause a scene like you're supposed to... They'll fall asleep without you... You're lucky if your memory remains..." The tanned boy stopped, looking at Mikey and Ash for their approval.  
Seeing Michael writing down the progression, and Luke now writing down the lyrics, he assumed it was a win.

A final run through saw the song reaching completion. Calum singing the second to last chorus, along with Michael in the background, and Luke ending the entire thing with his slightly changed version of the chorus.  
"Give me therapy... I'm a walking travesty, but I'm smiling at everything... Therapy... You were never a friend to me, and you can take back your misery..."  
"Therapy... I'm a walking travesty, but I'm smiling at everything... Therapy..." Luke extended the note, the emotion in his voice ringing through, "You were never a friend to me... And you can choke on your misery..."  
Mikey played the song out by himself, Ash trailing off first, followed by Calum and then Luke until the room was filled with nothing but the resonation of the chords.

The group exchanged excited looks, even Luke seemed to be thinking along the same wavelength. _This could be a thing. An actual thing!_ Calum thought, knowing for certain that at least Ash and Mikey had the exact same thoughts circling through their heads.  
The oldest boys moved the instruments to a safer place; Michael actually laughed at the confused pout adorning Luke's face when his guitar was taken away.  
Them coming back to the sofa, Luke and Calum had minimal warning before Ashton actually fucking _screeched_ , "GROUP CUDDLE!!"

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is how they stayed until "bedtime".


	7. My Lungs Gave Out

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so I know I said 11pm British time yesterday, but I fell asleep editing it so it didn't have mistakes. So you have it today. I'm sorry it's late and I said I post on certain days but apparently my brain has other ideas. However, I hope you enjoy it. Also, there's a serious question for readers in the bottom notes!!!

The next incident to rock the boys' boat happened just under a week later.

The boys were once again in the music room, Mikey and Luke absently strumming at their guitars, Ashton's fidgeting causing him to tap at his drum box. Calum was sat next to Michael - head on the older boy's shoulder - his hands running through blonde hair as Luke lay with his head in the tanned lad's lap. Ashton had his feet kicked up onto the edge of the sofa, toes tapping absently at Luke's ankle and lower leg; he was leaning against the wall, comfortably sandwiching a pillow between the surface and his back. The cuddle session was relaxing, all boys relishing in the gentle calm that floated over them, and the pleasant, warm feeling of friendship rushing through their veins. The snick of the door had all four heads turning, the notes fading as hands stopped.

Rian and Zack - Calum had learnt his name a few days ago - stepped through the entryway, grim looks plastered to their faces. The shorter of the two closed the door before turning back to the boys.  
"What's wrong? Why do you look like you're about to take one of us away?" Michael asked, sitting up a little straighter and dislodging Calum's head from his shoulder. The dark haired boy moved from his slouched position, hands stilling in Luke's hair. The youngest lad didn't move at all, merely turning wide and anxious blue eyes to the older men, innocence and fear radiating in his gaze. A soft thump sounded as Ashton moved and allowed the pillow to hit the floor.  
Not one of the teenagers missed the slight flinches that Michael's second question provoked. Instantly, Ash was curled next to Luke, the younger boy's breathing stuttering a little as his anxiety crept higher and higher. Michael and Calum shuffled their positions and soon Luke was ensconced between the three older lads, all of them acting as a barrier to prevent him being snatched away.  
Sadness returned to the doctors' faces as Zack informed them, "Luke is staying."  
Rian spoke next, "Boys, for some reason, they haven't said why, the government have changed the regulations for Youth Sectors up and down the country. It's now 18 and under only, not under 21s."  
Time seemed to stand still at that point. Then all hell broke loose...

Mikey's breathing became erratic, not enough air going in and too much coming out. His hands were continuously clenching and unclenching - a hand gripping at his chest and blunt nails forming scratched, red welts through the material of his shirt. Uncaring of who he kicked, the green haired (although now the colour had started fading) lad scrambled over his friends, tackling Ashton in a vice-like hug as tears streaked down his cheeks.  
Calum had teared up, gripping at Ash's sleeve where he could reach him. He couldn't lose the first friend he made at Happy Days, he just couldn't. Ashton had become an older sibling to him, annoying and teasing, but easy to talk to and confide in. Calum was so grateful that Ashton suffered from chronic insomnia too; he'd know how to help, or at least know how it felt whenever it got so bad that even the meds wouldn't help. Squishing Luke slightly, the tanned boy wrapped an arm around Ashton's, linking it with his own and more or less barring Luke to the sofa.  
The eldest was openly weeping, tears and sobs pouring into the room as he begged and pleaded to stay within the Youth Sector. His boys wanted him, all three of the younger teens needed him. He wasn't going to let himself be taken away when he knew how badly it would affect Luke and Mikey, and to a slightly lesser extent Calum, if he wasn't able to be with them all the time. He wouldn't cope either! Where would his routine go? How would he manage? He just wouldn't survive without his 'brothers', much like they wouldn't without him.  
The most dramatic and shocking reaction by far was Luke's. The blonde didn't even react once the words had been said. He sat staring blankly, rarely blinking. His breathing remained stable, but his mind was stalling, failing, crashing. After a few moments, silent tears cascaded down his cheeks, blue eyes remaining unseeing. Bony fingers curled into fists, gripping at the material of his shorts. The words his friends spoke merely washed over him until they dissolved into sobs. Then Luke spoke, well, yelled.

"No!"  
Silence fell upon the room. No one dared to breathe. Luke got up from his place on the sofa, walking across the room to sit in the far corner. Hugging his knees close, the youngest lad rocked backwards and forwards slowly, whimpering out a litany of stuttered protests.  
"N-No, no, Ash c-can't leave, he can't l-l-leave, he c-c-can't lea-eave, n-no, I need h-him, Asshhh can't g-go..."  
 _So the stutter could be a part of why he chooses to be mute..._ Calum thought distractedly, almost elated at his mind wandering away from the prospect of losing Ashton. All too soon though, his brain was back on track and he frowned, hugging Ash closer before going over to Luke, taking a seat next to him on the floor before pulling the taller boy into his lap and rocking him from side to side soothingly. _It's okay, Mikey seems to have hugging Ashton covered._ he internally chuckled dejectedly, looking over the top of Luke's head to see the oldest lads hugging each other tightly enough it looked like it was painful. He stood up - Luke still wrapped around him like an octopus - making his way back to the sofa. He sat down beside Mikey and Ash, pressing the blue eyed boy between himself and the eldest. The sound of voices finally broke through the haze and all four boys realised that Rian was talking again.  
"We're so sorry boys, we're trying to do everything possible to keep our facility from being changed. We've brought in an attorney who specialises in cases like this, where an institution wants to go against government regulations. She's the best in the business, she'll know what our options are."  
The three younger lads didn't even respond, they merely clung to each other - Ashton, however, simply nodded. He then sighed and requested, "Okay. Could we, maybe, have some time to just think over everything? Alone."  
Twin nods and the door opened and closed, the doctors (and co-coordinators of the hospital) walking back to their shared office.

As soon as they were completely alone, the teens dissolved into sobs once more.  
Ashton drew the younger boys closer to himself, refusing to lessen his grip for even a second. The blue eyed boy had tucked his head under the eldest's chin, and Ash pressed his cheek to the top of Luke's head, blonde hair tickling his face. Mikey's face was buried in his neck, crazy green hair sticking him in the ear as the younger boy sniffled quietly. Calum, well Calum had suctioned his entire body to align with Luke's, the tanned lad draped over the blonde like a living blanket.  
"It'll all be okay, okay?" Ash tried to reassure them.  
Luke spoke once more, the stutter coupled with the audible tears breaking the older teens' hearts, "B-b-but what if-f th-they ca-an't f-f-ix it?"  
The curly haired boy hugged the other three tighter. "They will fix it, Lukey-Bear, I promise they will. I'm not leaving any of you."  
Mikey and Luke both seemed satisfied with that answer, two pairs of eyes closing as they let the exhaustion from panic attacks and sobbing wash over them.  
Calum picked up the guitar Luke had been playing earlier, slender fingers plucking at the strings and allowing the melody they all knew too well to encase the room in a quiet cacophony of sound. Humming along, the dark haired boy strummed out the chorus to the song they'd all written together. Therapy. The sound was soothing and hypnotising, the two exhausted lads falling deeper and deeper into a sleepy haze. The blonde fell asleep first, his slightly moved but no less comforting Calum-blanket and his ever present Ashton-pillow comfy enough to lull him into the land of dreams. Michael's breathing took a while longer to completely even out - partly due to the occasionally reoccurring sob, mostly due to reluctance.  
Calum was not so easily placated and he gave Ash a hard yet sad look. "Do you honestly believe that everything is gonna be alright? That they'll stop the _government_ from changing things?"  
The curly haired lad stared at Calum for a while, before he nodded. "I do. I've been here nearly two years, and this is my home. Luke and Mikey are my little brothers, _you're_ now my little brother as well. The people here genuinely care about how each patient feels, and I know they're gonna figure out a way to keep things the same. You have to have faith Cal, you just gotta believe."  
Nodding despite his scepticism, the dark haired boy smiled. He cast glances over the two teens sandwiching him in age and smiled more broadly. To lighten the mood, and make the younger lad's smile a grin, Ashton added with a wink,  
"Besides, Rian and Alex love me too much."  
A chuckle tumbled from Calum's lips before he could stop it, the sound far too loud in the quiet of the room. He check quickly to see if either Luke or Michael had stirred, and he was pleased to note that they hadn't.  
"I think these two need to go to bed." He stated flatly, though his smile was still present.  
Ash nodded and laughed. "I'll take Mikey, you take Lukey."  
Lifting Michael was easier said than done. As soon as Calum had rolled Luke away so Ash could stand up, the green haired boy rolled over, completely wrapping his arms around the eldest's torso; he tangled their legs too. Ashton groaned internally, unsure of how he was going to move with limpet-Michael stuck to him. He finally settled for sliding the younger teen up his body enough to have Mikey suction himself to his back. Smiling in victory, Ash looked up and saw one of the cutest sights he'd ever seen.  
While waiting for the eldest lad to secure Michael, Calum had rolled Luke over and up into a sitting position. The blonde had slumped over a bit, chin tucked into his own chest. The cute sight Ashton caught was when Calum picked Luke up. Much like an energy-drained infant, the blue eyed boy was limp and floppy, making it easy for the tanned lad to lift him onto his hip, sitting him much like you would a sleepy toddler. As boneless as he was, Luke had merely had his head crash onto Calum's shoulder, arms subconsciously wrapping loosely around the older teen's neck.  
It was adorable.

Having carried the other half of their group back to their bedroom, Calum and Ashton flopped down with them after setting them on their respective beds. Luke was already in his pyjamas, despite the fact that they'd yet to attend dinner, so Calum had no issues with having to change the blonde into comfier clothes. Mikey was half dressed for bed, Ashton knowing that the younger lad preferred to sleep in his boxers and a t-shirt. So after stripping Michael's sweats from his body, Ashton curled up next to the green haired boy happily.  
Mirroring Ash's position, Calum commented offhandedly, "I'm so glad I wore my cut off sweats today. I hate sleeping in my long pairs."  
The eldest nodded in response, a yawn escaping him.  
"I'm so tired. Mikey and Lukey have the right idea."  
It was the dark eyed boy's turn to nod, cuddling closer to Luke and closing his eyes. "Goodni- good whatever time it is, Ash."  
"Good whatever time it is, to you too Cal."  
Ashton reached across, flicking the light switch nearest Michael's and plunging the room into a comforting darkness...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OKAY SERIOUS QUESTION TIME:
> 
> I've been asked if there is going to be a relationship in this so who wants one?
> 
> If you would like a particular pairing and/or pairings to become a thing in this story, then please comment. I will write any ships, including OT4 and if you want the ATL boys to be shipped together I'll do that too.


	8. NOT A CHAPTER SO DO NOT COMMENT

As I said in the Prompts, this is not a chapter and I apologise for that but school is a bitch and I don't have much time to write but I'll post when I can. Anyways, this is just to announce that, due to the apparent success this story has had, I have made a tumblr dedicated to this and only this. I literally made it 10 minutes ago, so there is nothing on it yet, however the description will tell you everything. You can still comment prompts on here, but there's a wider variety of option over at 5sos-givemetherapy.tumblr.com

So yeah! There's that now, please check it out if you're interested, the future of GMT lies within that blog


	9. As I Faced The Crowd

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey... So, long time no update, and I wanna apologise for that. Shit got in the way, and I was trying to get some prompts done too. However, I'm sorry for how long it's taken me to get this to you guys - I'll try to update more/quicker in future. Anyways, here's chapter eight, enjoy :)

As the light of early afternoon filtered through the open blind, Michael let out a yawn as the beams became progressively more difficult to ignore. He blinked as his senses came back to him. Despite his bleary eyesight not providing a very good visual, he still turned his head towards the direction of the hushed voices, tilting his head to hear better.

"So you're sure this is gonna work? That this case worker is gonna stop it from changing?" Ashton asked, the scepticism lacing his tone almost tangible.  
"Well... No, not 100 percent sure at least." Rian answered honestly, frowning at the two lads in front of him.  
"She's definitely our best chance though. She's won more cases any other case worker in her field, and her success rate is above 90 percent." Zack filled in the silence, a reassuring, yet small, smile across his lips.  
Calum seemed to accept this, smiling a little in return before turning to check on the still 'sleeping' boys. Noticing that Michael was awake, the tanned lad grinned and waved, excusing himself from the conversation and making his way over to Michael. He sat on the bed, looping an arm around the guitarist's shoulders, pulling him to his side.  
"What's going on?" Mikey asked through a yawn, raising a hand to rub at his eyes.  
"You'll find out when Lukey wakes up, it's easier to explain once."

A sniffle from the other bed captured everyone's attention, a teary eyed Luke looking up from the pillow he was clutching to his chest in lieu of Calum. Ashton darted over, sliding onto the bed and pulling the upset blonde to his chest. Fingers curled into the material of Ash's shirt, a white knuckle grip anchoring the drummer to the bed.  
"Hey, hey, why the tears, huh, Lukey-Bear?" Ashton cooed softly, thumbing away the built up tears that clung to the dark lashes.  
Luke just shook his head, pillowing it against the eldest's chest, the reassuring thump of his heartbeat enough to calm him a little.  
Michael and Calum looked over, smiling a little before they joined the other half of their band. Lounging across the mattress, the two curled around Ashton and Luke's legs, Michael moving his head to Ash's stomach a moment later.

The two doctors watched, sad smiles on their faces before they turned to face the teens directly.  
"Boys. Now everyone is up, we can tell you what's going on." Zack started, looking to Rian.  
"We've hired a case worker, Ms. Ellen Carlson is the best in the business, and has helped over 200 hundred hospitals during her career. She has a success rate of about 94%, and is definitely our best hope to stop the Youth Sector changing."  
The boys nodded in response, each of them subconsciously pressing closer to the others at the indirect mention of Ashton having to leave.  
"She should be here in about," Zack checked his watch, "half an hour."  
"For now, we've got some work to attend to, so we'll leave you guys alone for a bit." Rian finished, holding the door open for his friend, colleague, and co-owner.  
The doctors left, leaving the boys to their own devices for the time being.

After the door closed, the room was encased in a comforting silence, the lads happily reassured by each other's presence. The quiet was broken as Michael sat up, confusion furrowing his brows and a minor pout adorning his lips. Ashton looked at him in concern, asking quietly, "Are you alright, Mikey?"  
"When did we move?"  
Befuddlement crossed Calum's features before he let out a laugh and answered.  
"After you two fell asleep, me and Ash carried you back here and cuddled with you. We just woke up first."  
"Yeah, you're a difficult motherfucker to pick up, Mikey. And Lukey-Bear, you were adorable, like a drowsy, wrung out toddler. All floppy and limp limbed." Ashton added, smiling softly at the adorable blush that crept onto Luke's cheeks and tinged the tips of his ears a scarlet pink.  
Michael sighed dramatically, sticking his tongue out a moment later in an act of maturity. Luke then opened his mouth, desperately looking like he wanted to say something, before he shut it again, choosing to remain silent. A sudden realisation dawned on the three eldest boys: Luke was way more comfortable mute. Instead, the blonde lad looked up through long, dark lashes; bright blue eyes wide and round; lips set in a slight pout. Michael took the hint immediately and near enough shouted, "Cuddle pile!"  
They shared warm smiles, curling closer to one another and telling silly stories to pass the time.

Around 25 minutes later, the door opened. Zack stepped into the room first, politely leading a middle aged woman through the doorway after him. Rian flowed and closed the door quietly. Each boy looked over at the interruption, Calum's entertaining tale dying midway through his sentence. They took in the woman's neat appearance.  
A dark grey blazer, buttoned up, covered her torso, a crisp white blouse sat underneath - the collar sharp. A matching grey pencil skirt stopped just above her knees, sensible white heels adorning her feet. She held a briefcase in her left hand, wedding ring glinting in the light of the afternoon sun. In her right, she held a case file, the red stamp emblazoned across the front reading ' **CONFIDENTIAL** '. Their eyes were drawn up to her face, framed gently by soft looking, brunette curls that hit her shoulders and stopped. Kind, pale eyes were set under dark brows, neatly shaped and sloping softly. A small smile curved her delicate lips upwards, the start of dimples denting her cheeks visible.  
"Boys, this is Ms. Ellen Carlson. She's here to save our Youth Sector."

The case worker took a step forward, the papers in the file rustling a little with the movement. She outstretched a hand, tilting her head kindly, directing the handshake to Ashton. The eldest took a step off the bed, welcoming her closer before shaking her proffered hand. Receiving a smile for his efforts, Ms. Carlson took the offered seat at the very end of the bed, the boys having drawn their legs up a little to make room. She set her briefcase down next to her, unclipping it and shuffling through the papers until she found a photograph. The picture was clearly loved, slightly worn edges proving it was looked at often. She turned and handed it to Luke. The shy boy took it cautiously, unsure of why she'd not trusted Calum or Ash with the obviously loved photo. He looked at it and his eyes widened.  
A boy, similar to him in age, stared back, a wide beam causing his pale green eyes to scrunch a little, and deeply etched dimples to appear in his cheeks, His dark hair was tousled lovingly by the man and two women with him, the elder of the two looking exactly like Ms. Carlson. The building in the background was what really caught his attention though. Behind the four heads, he could make out a sign. A sign that read 'Happy Days Hospital'.  
Luke looked up at her questioningly, surprise plastered to his face as he passed the photograph to Michael.  
Ms. Carlson looked back at him softly, answering the unspoken question, "That's my son, Robbie. That photo was taken the day he was released from this hospital, five years ago."  
Shocking everyone, Luke replied quietly, "I-I-I've be-been here f-for four y-years."  
Ellen smiled warmly, the boy's adorable nature was extremely endearing, and she could tell by the others' reactions that he didn't talk to strangers often, if at all.  
"I bet the prospect of change is scary then, huh?" At Luke's nod, she pressed on, "What's so scary? Why don't you want it to change?"  
At this, Mikey could no longer watch the exchange silently, "Sorry for interrupting, but I need to answer that. Ashton can't leave. He _can't_. We need him, all of us. He's like, I dunno, the missing link. The part that completes us. As sappy as it sounds, if Ashton leaves, we can't go on."  
Ellen nodded, mentally recording the conversation. Rian and Zack moved closer, the doctors a reassuring presence.  
"It has been shown that separating them is an extremely bad idea. Take away any one of them and there'll be some sort of fight." Rian winked at Michael at that, the teenager blushing as he remembered the fist fight he'd started when they tried to have him and Luke in separate bedrooms.  
Calum spoke up next, "I've not been here that long, but Ashton was the first patient I met, the first friend I made here. Like I said, I've not been here that long, but these boys have become my best friends, my lifeline in a way. As weird as it is."  
Tears had gathered in Ashton's eyes during the speeches the other boys had made. He wiped a hand over his face before looking Ellen straight in the eyes and giving his opinion.

"I need these boys more than words can ever iterate. You can't, and won't, understand how much they mean to me unless you're in my exact shoes. These lads have _saved me_ from myself. They're the reason I'm so happy, they're the reason I'm getting to be okay with my routine gone, they're the ones that keep my insomnia at bay. These boys are my _everything_ , and even thinking of leaving them hurts like fucking hell, okay? Mikey's SA will act up big time if I leave, and Luke, well I need my Lukey-Bear almost as much as he needs me. We're the ARD unit, and we're a unit for a reason. Please, just... Just keep us together."

Silent tears ran tracks down all of the teenagers' faces, leaving glistening trails in their wakes; both Zack and Rian were hard pressed to maintain their professional facades. Ms. Carlson drew a reassuring smile onto her face, dabbing at her eyes with a tissue before she patted Luke's leg twice gently and stood up. She gently took the photo Calum offered out to her, slipping it back into its place in her briefcase.  
As her parting comment, she spoke up, "I think I can help you guys. This isn't the first time a Youth Sector has wanted to rebel, and your story is pretty heartwarming. I'll see what I can do."  
Ashton shot her a grateful smile, curling back up in the middle of his boys. Zack and Rian nodded, politely ushering Ms. Carlson from the room. Before they'd left the room completely though, the woman turned back to the bed of boys and coughed lightly to catch their attention. They all looked up in synchronisation, curious eyes locked onto hers. A smile worked its way onto her face without her knowing.  
"You know, you boys remind me a lot of Robbie and the friends he made here. They're all still friends, even now. So just keep together, and not even the strongest of forces will break you apart. Trust me."  
She received four nods in confirmation that her words had been acknowledged and understood. She turned back to the doctors, gesturing to the door with her head. They escorted her out and down towards the elevator. They both shook her hand, finding a nurse to accompany her on her way out of the hospital. The two then set themselves about informing Jack and Alex.  
Wiping away their tears, the boys had a quick group hug before finally making their way to a late lunch.

An hour later saw them all back in the TV and games room, curled up on the sofas. Ashton sat in the middle, the gap between the cushions threatening to let him slip to sit on the sofa's base. He had Michael on one side, leaning against him as he played some random game, the clicking of controller buttons sporadic. Luke sat on his other side, wedged under his arm and peeking across his chest to see how Mikey was doing in his game. Calum completed the cuddle sandwich, Luke's legs in his lap, his head on the blonde's shoulder, dark hair tickling Ash's neck every time he took a deeper than normal breath. It was both comfortable and comforting.  
A thoughtful look crossed Calum's features, and he spoke up.  
"Can I ask you guys something?"  
"Sure, what do you wanna know?" Michael replied, tilting his head a little to look in the tanned lad's direction.  
"What're your stories?"


	10. I'm Flesh And Bone

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this has taken so long, if you follow the blog on tumblr you'll know that my iPad had a freak out and deleted everything GMT I had saved. So I had to rewrite this.
> 
> Anyways, here our the boys' backstories so I hope you enjoy.
> 
> There will be an A/N at the bottom so make sure you read that.

_A thoughtful look crossed Calum's features, and he spoke up._  
_"Can I ask you guys something?"_  
_"Sure, what do you wanna know?" Michael replied, tilting his head a little to look in the tanned lad's direction._  
_"What're your stories?"_

"What're our stories?" Ash looked confused, "What do you mean by that?"  
Calum blushed at the counter questions, a little embarrassed at how forward he'd been.  
"Like - how do I not seem intrusive? - like, before Happy Days, what... What were your lives like? How did you get here?"  
A long silence followed his words, each boy saying nothing and all movements stopped aside from breathing.  
"So, like, our backstories? Kind of?" Michael eventually got out, switching off his game and the TV.  
Calum only nodded.  
A deep sigh escaped Ashton, and he looked solemn as he replied, "It's not that we don't want to tell you, we trust you. It's just, it's hard. And this," he gesticulated around the room, "isn't exactly the best setting. Let's go to our room and we'll start sharing stories."  
Standing, the oldest lad shifted Luke with him, gently holding onto a shaking hand and pulling him along behind him, down the corridor. Michael and Calum followed close behind, the guitarist lacing his fingers through Calum's in a comforting gesture.  
Once they'd all settled onto Ashton's bed comfortably - an odd oval formed by the lads' positions - Ashton and Michael exchanged a glance; the drummer sighed a little.  
"Guess I'm going first then."

The eldest took a deep breath, calming himself a little before speaking.  
"It started when I was little - my need for routine that is. I used to get nightmares, a lot. They were really bad, so I didn't wanna sleep. Multiple sleepless nights slowly turned into insomnia. I must've been about 11? My parents got really concerned, so they sort of set up a... Let's say a ritual, of sorts."  
He couldn't help but let out a snort at his choice of words, and then more of an amused huff as he saw how enraptured the younger lads were by the story so far - even though Michael already knew that one.  
"So my parents did that, and it worked. No nightmares, a nice peaceful sleep. Awesome right? Not quite. I became obsessed with that 'ritual', I thought the nightmares would come back if I ever stopped. And hence the need for routine came about, and I depended on it. Hell, I still do; not as much now though."  
Ashton received dual nods from Calum and Michael, showing they understood every word and his 11 year old reasoning. Luke had shuffled closer, his position on the bed making it easy to lean towards all three of the older teens as and when he needed or wanted to. The blonde looped an arm around Ash's leg where their knees touched, laying down a little to put his head in the eldest's lap. Ashton's fingers were shaking slightly, and the golden locks suddenly at his disposal had his idle hands moving, the repetitive motion as much a comfort to him as to Luke.  
"Eventually, my routine just became too much to handle, my freak outs when stuff got disrupted weren't being subdued by my prescribed medication, I'd become an insomniac for a few days after something got altered too much. It was awful. It got in the way. Of everyone. My brother and sister started exhibiting signs of OCD when I turned 17, after going through a routine for six years. When I got to 17 and a half, my parents thought it best to get me better help. Hence how I got to Happy Days."  
Calum nodded, thinking that the end to Ash's background, but the eldest had merely paused, taking a deep breath before he finished.  
"They all used to visit once a week to start with, and then once a fortnight. Then once a month. They never showed up one time, and I just thought they'd had to reschedule and no one had told me. Until Zack and Rian walked in, and told me that-"  
He cut himself off, the emotion in his voice choking him on his own words. Luke pressed closer, and Mikey shot a sympathetic glance in the drummer's direction.  
"They came in and told me that there'd been a house fire at my home. N... No one survived. The fire was too big and the structure had collapsed. The only comfort I got was that my family had quick, painless deaths."  
Silence descended upon the room, Ash's hands stilling too. Calum didn't know what to say, didn't know how any of his words would make a difference. Ashton gave him a smile, mutely informing him that it was okay; he didn't have to say anything.

Michael cleared his throat, the sound loud and echoey in the silence. He shrugged and started his own story.  
"I was a clingy kid. Always following my mum round, right behind her to the point she'd step on my feet by accident whenever she moved back. Mum and dad didn't mind, they thought it was kinda cute. Then mum got sick, like dying sick, and she passed away when I was four. That hit dad _hard_. And me? Well I did what any kid would do. I got clingy to my dad. Inseparable almost."  
Luke had moved from Ashton's lap to Michael's, the blonde seeming to know which little thing brought comfort to each boy. Curling against Mikey's side, the blue eyed lad shifted so the guitarist had access to his back, the faded green haired teen's fingers absently drawing obscure winding patterns across the planes of Luke's spine and shoulders.  
"But like most 'grievers' do, he turned to alcohol, and he drank pretty heavily. He never once took it out on me, he wasn't a violent drunk. Just happy and sad. He'd sit me down on his knee, I must've been about seven when it first started - I think, but he'd sit me down and with the saddest expression he'd tell me the happiest stories. It was obvious it hurt, but he'd tell me all of these stories about mum, and him and mum, and stuff from when I was too young to remember..."  
Michael paused, running a hand through his hair and then wiping at his face.  
"When I hit 14, my anxiety started creeping up on me. I mean, from the age of about six, I knew about the separation anxiety, that was a given. But the 'regular' kind, the social kind, that crept up on me. I started to not want to go to school, I didn't want to hang with my friends, I didn't even want to leave the house. Social events terrified me and in the end I just stayed home a lot. My dad was happier, knew he could keep an eye on me since he was at home all the time too. He got fired from his job, his drinking meaning he was always hungover at work and his boss just got sick of it. Anyways, my anxiety got really bad, to the point where I told my dad about this kid at school, in his last year, and how he always made me self conscious because of what he said. And he'd started saying disturbing things, obviously just to freak me out, but still."  
Calum looked to Ashton and Luke, seeing them listening attentively. In his own head, the dark haired lad was worried about the ominous cliffhanger Michael had paused on. He resisted the urge to prod, to push, to press for more answers with the classic, 'and then what?'.  
"I told dad everything, but what surprised me was his reaction. He seemed totally calm about it, and that more than anything scared me. I never thought he'd do what he did though... I-"  
Michael had to stop, taking several moments to collate his thoughts and pull himself back together. He took in a deep breath through his nose, exhaling slowly from his mouth before he spoke once more.  
"I remember I came home one day - like a week after I told dad about that kid- and I just saw him sitting in the living room, watching TV, nothing unusual there. I mean, things had been looking up. His paranoia had gone down, my anxiety wasn't as overwhelming as it could've been, he'd gotten a job working shifts from between after I'd left for school and before I got back. We were happy. But I came home, didn't assume anything weird until there was a knock on the door. I was in the middle of taking my shoes off, so I just turned and answered it. It was the police; they were there to arrest my dad for the murder of the kid who had been harassing me and making me uncomfortable."  
Calum couldn't help but let out a gasp, a hand clapping over his mouth the second after the sound left him. Michael only nodded solemnly in reply, fingers still smoothing random shapes across Luke's back, trailing over the loose material of the t-shirt.  
"That just kicked my anxiety back big time. I'd had to live with my grandparents after that, but they just got so worried for me they sought out help. In the form of Happy Days. My dad tried to write to me, but after what he did - pretty much abandoning me - I couldn't ever face him, or read what he'd put. So yeah, that's how I'm here."

Near complete silence descended upon the room again, the only sound being the shuffle of t-shirt against skin as Mikey toyed with the material of Luke's shirt even more. Ashton shared a slightly sad glance with the second oldest lad, frowning a little at the sombre look on Mikey's face. He then looked to Calum, tilting his head a little and asking,  
"What about you? What's your story, Cal?"

"Mine? Mine really isn't interesting. I mean, my insomnia is the main thing, and my anxiety has gotten a lot better over the past few months before I got here, but neither are horrendously severe. It started, sort of when I was 17, and it escalated to a point. I wasn't sleeping at night, I was falling asleep in my classes, I had awful mood swings. I'd be happy one minute, then snappy and irritable the next, then to being guilty and apologetic, then I'd just wanna go to bed again. My grades started slipping because I couldn't study because I was so tired, I couldn't do homework because I was trying to sleep, and I never paid attention because I was napping. My parents and sister obviously worried about it, and they tried to get me help. In the end they resorted to Happy Days after reading positive feedback about the hospital, and after I'd gone a solid 72 hours with no sleep." Calum reported, knowing his life sounded like a dream compared to the others'.  
He bit his lip, nervously awaiting their reactions. With a huff, he looked and found himself with a lap of long, lanky teenage limbs, and a chest now covered in golden blonde hair. He wrapped his arms around Luke's waist, playing with the younger boy's fingers and tapping at his palm and the back of his hand.  
"Your parents sound really nice." Mikey commented.  
"Yeah, are they gonna visit soon?" Ash added, looking hopeful.  
"Um yeah, I've told them and Mali - my sister - all about you guys, and they wanna meet you. I think they're planning a visit sometime in the next two weeks actually." Calum answered, smiling at how seemingly eager his friends were in wanting to meet his family.  
The mood suddenly turned serious as Ashton fixed Luke with a stern look.  
"Now Lukey-Bear, you don't have to tell us just because we told you. Your story is yours. If you wanna tell us, we'll listen, or if you prefer to write it down we'll read. Okay?"  
Luke nodded and opened his mouth, sucking in a deep breath before speaking.  
"I-I'm ok-kay to t-tell y-y-you guys-s. I th-think."

With that, Luke told them everything, his stutter sometimes creeping back so much he could barely understand himself. He spoke of how it was simply down to the fact _his family didn't want him_. How they essentially neglected him from birth, but happily doted on his two older brothers. How he was once physically struck across the face with the back of his father's hand when he was four years old - for coming home from school caked with mud because his brothers had pushed him into a dirty puddle on the walk back to the house.  
Shock was written across the three older lads' faces, Ash and Mikey moving closer to comfort the blonde in some way.  
Luke struggled on, pausing a few times for deep breaths as he told them about the verbal abuse that then ensued, how all of the "You're worthless", "We wish we could put you up for adoption", "You're such a disappointment" and the typical "You were an accident" comments took his self esteem down a peg every time the words were uttered. He spoke of how despite how little he was actually given to eat, his family still called him 'fat', driving him to start throwing up his food and develop the eating disorder that had very nearly killed him when he was only 12 years old. How as soon as he turned 13, his parents saw the way out and dropped him at Happy Days, never looking back on the day they abandoned their youngest son.  
Calum held a pained expression on his face, the comfort of his own family making it hard to hear how badly Luke's had treated him. Michael had tears glistening in his eyes, the heartbreak almost too much to handle as Luke's words sunk in. Ashton's face had taken on a stony undertone, anger boiling quietly at the mistreatment the youngest had suffered through; he stroked his fingers gently up and down the soft skin of Luke's shin.  
A few more deep breaths and the blue eyed teen continued, going on to say how his anxiety started when he was placed on the eating disorders ward, while frequently visiting the depression unit. How he actually managed to make a friend for the first time in his life, that she came from a similar background and had similar issues. They became so, so close and couldn't bear to be separated if it could be helped. But then he was moved to the ARD ward, and they were both alone when their thoughts were darkest.  
Luke's face darkened, and his baby blues became cobalt, shining with unshed tears and unwarranted guilt he'd never been able to shake. The boys all shuffled closer, concern cascading over their features.  
"Sh-she h-had been s-self- y-you kn-kn-know again, and I-I-I w-was gonna t-tell A-Alex about-t it b-but I-I... I... I w-was too l-late t-to st-stop her..."  
The quiet admittance shook them all to the core, and they surged forward as one movement, sweeping Luke up with the motion and smothering him in their efforts to relieve the crushed look in his eyes. Tilting sideways, they landed in a pile with a huff, Luke lying amidst the limbs that had tangled together. Silence reined for a moment before Luke whispered,  
"Sh-she l-left me. All a-alone f-for a y-year bef-fore M-Mikey c-came along."

The devastation in the tone of the blonde's voice had them all squeezing tighter, soothing reassurance falling from their lips in a bid to cheer Luke up and get him to see it wasn't his fault.  
Eventually, the emotional drain hit all of them, a fatigue that wasn't previously there washing over them and drooping their eyelids. Unconsciously in sleep, they all curled closer to one another; each lad had physical contact with the three others in some way - be it through a hand on an arm, or fingers carding through soft strands of hair.  
Whichever way they looked at it, they all saw they'd created a bond of brotherhood, trust, and honesty, one they hoped none of them would break.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **A/N:** I know that none of their parents have done anything like this, it's purely fiction and what I needed to shape their characters. I know nothing about their actual lives, other than that Luke's parents and brothers love him very much and would never do anything like in GMT. I'm also positive that Calum's family, and Mikey's parents, and Ash's family all love them very much so as I said _PURE FICTION_.


	11. The Experts Say I'm Delirious

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey so I know I haven't updated in a while and I'm just gonna say that I suck, and I'm sorry.
> 
> Here's chapter 10 and it's a long one. It also incorporates this prompt:  
> "12. Is the bitch from the therapy sessions still there or permanantly gone because of the other prompt? If she's there, can you do one where she strikes again at the group session to the point where she's in Luke's face and he starts crying? Thank you!  
> ~ Chico"

Since telling one another the stories that brought them all together at Happy Days Hospital, things seemed to be looking up for the boys.  
Only a week after what Michael had affectionately dubbed "Family Bonding Sob Fest Central", Calum's family made the promised visit, and everyone had smiles plastered across their faces.

Bursting out of his and Ashton's room, tugging the oldest lad along behind him, Calum rushed to Michael and Luke's room. He flung the door open with his free hand, caring not what the two other boys were doing. Two heads shot up - one blonde and one newly dark blue (Jack had caved instantly the moment Michael used Luke's puppy face to have him allowed to dye his hair again, the little fucker) - and Calum beamed.  
"My family are visiting today, Zack just came and told me. They should be here within the hour."  
His enthusiasm was contagious and both Ashton and Mikey had matching grins covering their faces. Michael shot up from his bed, bounding across the room and tossing his shirt off on his journey. He closed the bathroom door louder than strictly necessary, and moments later the remaining three boys heard the sound of the shower running.  
Turning to Luke, Calum's smile dropped a tad as he saw the nervousness creasing the blonde's forehead.  
"Lukey, you've got nothing to worry about. I've told them all about you guys and they're really happy I've made friends. They really wanna meet you."  
At the wide eyed look he received, the dark haired teen crossed over to sit beside the youngest on his bed. Gently picking up the blonde's hand, he let Luke play with his fingers as he continued his reassurances.  
"They're gonna love you, promise."  
At the shy but more confident nod that gained him, he laughed joyously and wrapped the younger teen in his arms, pressing his cheek on top of the golden locks. Ashton came over to join them, poking Calum in the ribs before all three startled as Michael flung open the bathroom door - belting out the lyrics to American Idiot.

45 minutes later - after the other three had showered and gotten dressed - the group were in the elevator, Calum buzzing with excitement and the others brimming with nervous energy. When the lift hit the floor they needed, they stepped out and saw Alex and Jack waiting for them. The doctor and activities coordinator tilted their heads in the direction of the main foyer, and the six of them made their trip to the benches outside.  
After a ten minute long game of 'I Spy', Calum wearing tracks into the paving stones with his pacing, the sound of car doors slamming in the car park broke the sudden quiet. Calum's head shot up, focusing on the direction the sounds had come from; he sprinted away from the group to near enough tackle his family in a bone crushing hug.  
Elated laughter floated round the corner, Calum leading the way - dancing with his sister. Their parents followed after them, smiling happily. Reaching the group of staff and patients, Calum released his hold of his sister's hands, almost bounding over to his new friends and slinging his arms over the closest two's shoulders.  
"Mum, Dad, Mali, these are my friends," Calum started, gesturing to each boy in turn as he introduced them, "Ashton, Michael and Luke."  
The named lads all raised a hand to wave, Ashton baring his dimples as he grinned; Luke ducked his head a little, the slightest hint of pink tinting the tips of his ears. Ashton proffered a hand, greeting the Hood family,  
"Hi, it's really nice to meet you."  
Calum's mum's smile widened, shaking the teen's hand and agreeing with him, "Yes, it's nice to meet you too. Calum has told us all about you boys."  
A red tinge coloured the dark haired lad's cheek. "Mum, you promised you wouldn't embarrass me."  
"She did, _I_ did not." Mali winked, tousling her little brother's hair and sticking her tongue out in reply to Calum's disgruntled expression.  
While the boys laughed watching Calum squabble with his sister, Jack and Alex introduced themselves to the dark haired lad's parents. A sharp whistle broke the air and five heads shot up to see Calum's father removing two fingers from his mouth.  
"When you're done bickering, we'd actually like a tour of the hospital?"  
Calum and Mali had the decency to blush and the group all headed inside.

As it turned out, the Hood family couldn't stay for more than a few hours, but apparently that was all they needed to know Calum was well taken care of. Both Mali and Calum's mum - the boys came to find out her name was Joy - were smitten with their brother and son's new friends, and Joy held a certain fondness for Luke which the other three boys were immensely grateful for. Luke needed to know that not all mothers were like his own. Calum's father - David, was incredibly pleased with how his boy had settled in, and expressed his gratitude to Ashton when he found a moment to spare; he wanted to thank the eldest lad for taking Calum in so quickly and wholly.  
Eventually, the time came for goodbyes, and each teen received a hearty pat on the back from David, and a squeezing hug from Joy. Mali gave each lad a fist bump, and pressed a kiss to Luke's cheek merely to relish in the adorably precious look on his face.  
Waving his family away with an almost sad smile on his face, Calum startled when he was wrapped up in several lanky, teenage limbs and nearly suffocated with 'thank you's from his boys. He laughed softly, hugging them back briefly before sprinting into the building, calling out,  
"Race you to lunch!"

Lunch, as it turned out, was uneventful. After the excitement of the Hood family visiting, the dull interior of the lunch hall - no matter how jovial the chatter sounded - made no real improvement to their dwindling positive attitudes. Not when group therapy was less than an hour away.

Trepidation flooded through the teenagers as they stepped out of the elevator. An exchange of nervous glances had the boys' fears confirmed and a heavy ball of worry settled in each of their stomachs. They turned the corner, prepared for what would be an exhausting hour and a half.  
Standing by the door, Luke had Michael's hand in his own, tapping at the upturned palm - fidgeting - and repeatedly tangling and untangling their fingers in his apprehension. In return, the blue haired boy had an arm wrapped around the blonde's waist, thumb stroking slightly protruding ribs through the thin material of Luke's (it actually happened to be Calum's) t-shirt. Ashton had sat down on the floor, resting his temple against Mikey's thigh and his shoulders pressed into the wall behind him. He had his legs drawn up, a triangle of air between the backs of his knees and the floor. Calum sat perpendicularly to the eldest boy, one knee pulled close to his chest, the other leg stretched in front of him and under Ash's legs; his cheek rested atop the knee folded to his sternum.  
The sound of approaching footsteps had the four boys looking up. They each exhaled silent sigh of relief as they saw it was only Ty and Lee, and not Clara or the four eldest members of the Youth Sector. That relief was short lived.

Not far behind Leoni and Tyler, Clara arrived and chirped a greeting to the teens. The halfhearted responses she received went unmentioned and she unlocked the door, ushering them inside. Once the group had sat down, the GT Leader fluttering around the room collecting what was needed for the session, the door opened once more. Nick and Chloe stepped through, followed a minute later by Maria and Cameron. Clara looked up, spotting the new arrivals and ushering them to their cushions as she finally sank into her own chair.  
"Finally! Everyone is accounted for. Just let me register you all in," she paused as she tapped at her phone a few times before slipping it back into her pocket, "and done. Now, we can actually start the session."  
A collective groan would've filled the air if it wasn't for the fact they all knew Clara would throw a fit.  
"Now, today, I want to try something different, get you out of your comfort zones. Particularly those on the ARD floor."  
Michael and Ashton exchanged a wary look over the top of Luke's ducked head, the drummer nibbling on his bottom lip in worry. Calum caught the look and shot a careful glance in the blonde's direction.  
Clara continued on, "Now, there'll be two groups of three and two groups of two: Luke and Nick; Calum and Leoni; Ashton, Cameron and Maria; Michael, Chloe and Tyler. Sit in your groups please."  
A panicked look crossed Luke's face, his hand automatically seeking out Ashton's. He turned wide blue eyes to the older boy, and the curly haired lad couldn't help but shoot him an apologetic look - he knew trying to negotiate with Clara would be pointless. With a reassuring squeeze, he released the blonde teen's hand and stood, moving over to sit with Cameron and Maria - though inside he felt simply helpless.

Nick had reluctantly moved from his seat halfway across the room from the younger boy, but seeing the distress on Luke's face softened something inside of him, and he couldn't help but feel for the blonde. He cautiously sat down, glancing over at the sneers Chloe and Cameron were directing at Luke and he scowled. He didn't have time for that kind of shit, not right then. After everyone had settled down, Clara spoke up again, instructing them on what to do.  
"Now, I want you to talk to your partner, or partners, and tell them a little about yourself. I know most of you know each other, but I want you to tell the other person or other people something they won't know about you."  
The ginger haired teen turned to face Luke, a frown on his face as he saw the glazed look in the normally crystalline blue eyes. He shot a look over at Michael and Ashton, but seeing them too busy listening to the others, he returned his attention to the blonde. A hand snaked out, gently tapping Luke's foot. Nothing. He tried again, carefully shaking the bony knee which wasn't drawn up to the other boy's chest. Still no response. Getting slightly worried, Nick bit his lip and turned nervous eyes onto Calum, who was staring at the pair of them. The red haired lad shrugged and sent a helpless look to the younger boy, gesturing to the apparently frozen Luke. Dark eyes widened and Calum nodded his confirmation that he understood. Nick let out a slightly relieved breath, turning back to his partner.  
Shaking the knee closest again, he asked quietly, "Luke? Are you okay? Can you hear me?"  
At the lack of response, the bipolar teen's worry escalated, and he waved his hand, gesturing both Michael and Clara over.

The blue haired lad rushed over to his friend, dropping to his knees beside the blue cushion. His hands fluttered over Luke's limbs, never making contact for more than a fleeting second. He had no idea what was wrong, and he was more than just reluctant to let Clara get anywhere near Luke when he was in such a vulnerable state. Unfortunately, he was neither a doctor nor a therapist, and so he had to sit back on his heels and allow the GT leader to tend to his best friend.

Clara knelt down, more than a little frustrated with the blonde boy. He was constantly wasting her time. In her opinion, teenagers like Luke - who had shown no progress in all the time they'd been in the hospital's care - should just be locked away. There was clearly no hope for him, so why bother? There was also the fact he was detracting from the session. Not only had Michael abandoned his group, but Ashton and Calum were kneeling beside their blue haired friend, worry etched into their faces. It was obvious the rest of the Youth Sector were paying attention to them as well. She resisted the urge to simply push the blonde over, and instead twisted her face into a look of deep concern. Filling her voice with sweetness to mollify the youngest teen's guard dogs, she slowly reached out and shook Luke's foot.  
"Luke? Luke, sweetheart, can you hear me? You're scaring us all here, can you tell us what's wrong?"  
Nothing. Luke didn't even flinch at the sickly pet name that she'd called him. His body remained rigid, a tension thrumming through him, and his eyes remained unseeing, that glazed over appearance never fading into clarity. At the lack of an answer, her frustration started to bleed through to her tone.  
"Luke. Come on, stop playing statue and let us all get on with the session. You're wasting everyone's time."  
Internally proud of herself for the double meaning, Clara reached out to the blonde once more and shook his knee roughly. Michael, Calum and even Nick flinched at the painful sounding click that the movement provoked, the noise seeming to come from Luke's hip. The GT leader sighed in frustration, not even caring that people could witness her next outburst. They likely wouldn't care, she'd seen the tension between the different sides of the room - you'd have to be blind not to. Steeling her resolve, and making sure the move was hidden under the guise of wrapping an arm around Luke's shoulders, she pinched harshly at the lad's ribcage a few times; definitely hard enough to bruise.  
"Luke. I'm not going to tell you again, so stop being silly and get on with the session. You're wasting everyone's time and stunting the progress others could be making."  
She shook him again, moving away after no response came other than a sigh.

Ashton frowned, leaning over and whispering to Calum, "This isn't right. He's never normally like this. Get Zack and get Alex?"  
Calum couldn't ignore the pleading tone or desperate eyes - not that he was going to ignore them anyway - so rose to his feet. He quickly strode to the door, rushing out and near enough running to the elevator. He chose to find Alex first (knowing there was a high likelihood that since the Youth Sector was in GT, that Alex, Zack and Rian would be together) and pressed the button to Floor 5.  
As the lift carried him to his chosen floor, Calum tapped his foot impatiently, raking a hand through his dark hair messily. Finally arriving at his destination, he darted through the barely open doors and down the corridor to the offices at the end. Knocking loudly, he waited a moment until the door opened, then grabbed the person's hand once he'd seen it was Alex. He started tugging the doctor along behind him, Alex digging his heels in.  
"Calum, what the hell man? Why the rush, and why are you dragging me?"  
"Need to find Zack. Something's wrong with Luke." Calum shot back, barely forming sentences.  
Slowing to a complete stop, Alex prevented Calum from moving further. "Zack is in the office, I'll get him in a minute. What's wrong with Luke?"  
"We don't know, he's gone like catatonic or something. He won't move or react or anything. Ashton says it isn't normal for him so told me to come get you two." Calum answered, peering over at the doorway and seeing Zack and Rian stood watching the exchange.  
Zack stepped forward, a deep concern creasing his forehead. He nodded at Rian, acknowledging that whatever happened next would be discussed later in their office. He turned to Alex and Calum, gesturing for the teen to lead the way.

They heard the commotion before they saw it.

Ashton was speaking calmly but with his voice raised, and by the sound of it, he'd had it raised for a while. Luke was cocooned in Michael's zip-up hoodie, the blue haired lad clutching the blonde to his chest. Glancing around the rest of the room, Alex and Zack gathered the general consensus that Clara was responsible for the tension, as well as Ash's outburst. Calum rushed over to his friends, dropping to his knees beside Mikey and Luke, and frowned deeply at the tear tracks running down Luke's slightly flushed cheeks. He snatched up one of the younger teen's hands, stroking his thumb across the bony knuckles, and his frown eased a little as Luke started playing with his fingers.  
Looking around once more, eyes settling on a silently fuming Ashton, Alex asked loudly, "Does someone, anyone, want to explain what has happened?"  
Clara immediately stepped forward, mouth open to start a reply before Zack shut her down. "Anyone but you, Clara."  
She didn't bother to hide her huff of annoyance.  
Nick raised his hand, clearing his throat before rather timidly answering, "We were in pairs, and I was supposed to work with Luke. He looked super distressed, and he didn't respond when I spoke to him. Like, I tapped his foot and shook his knee gently and everything and he didn't react. I got panicky and got Michael and Clara over to fix it."  
The doctor and therapist nodded, showing they'd digested what Nick had told them. They looked to Ashton, obviously questioning his earlier anger.  
"Oh, I was just telling Clara," he sneered her name, "that if she goes near Luke again I'm gonna shove her out the window. She's not qualified to deal with teenagers, or at least not Luke anyway."  
Exchanging a brief look of confusion, the two male professional gestured their heads at the door, motioning for Clara, Ashton and Nick to leave with them.

After a 10 minute long heated discussion, and the truth finally coming out through the combined retellings of Ashton and Nick, the two teens reentered the room. Nick went to talk to Tyler and Leoni, still not bothered with the other three; Ashton of course moved back to his boys, sitting beside Luke and Calum. Zack came into the room a moment later, Clara and Alex seeming to have disappeared.  
As it had turned out, after Calum had left, Clara had snapped. Frustrated beyond acceptable reason, she lashed out, and hissed out one insult and degrading comment after another, at one point getting right into Luke's face - near shouting that he was delirious if he thought he'd ever improve - before Michael had snapped out of his shock and jumped between the petrified, crying blonde and the GT leader. After that, Ashton had flipped, returning with a backlash so strong Clara couldn't even make a sound of protest.  
Alex and Zack's faces hardened as Nick confirmed Ash's account.  
Curling around the blonde's legs, the eldest of the ARD unit stroked a finger over the small strip of bare skin at Luke's ankle, revelling in the tiny smile that the action provoked. Michael grinned as Luke seemed to return to full awareness, the blue eyed lad slumping against the older boy with a sigh.  
Zack had already ushered the remaining members of the Youth Sector out of the room, allowing them to be free to spend the afternoon as they wanted to. He looked over at the huddle of teenagers and smiled sadly, leaving them alone; he knew they'd sort out what had happened. As for that moment, he needed to find Rian and then they could go and come up with an arrangement that compromised as well as could be achieved. Oh the joy...


	12. Love Yourself So No One Has To

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I'm just gonna leave this here and slink away... Sorry.
> 
> Incorporates these prompts:
> 
> 7\. Can you do a prompt with that involvs luke and mike and cuddling or something like that idk. I just need some cuddely muke. Love the story and how you have made the caracters btw. <3 ^^ sorry if this is not very spesific  
> ~ Andrea
> 
>  
> 
> 23\. do you think you could do a prompt where like luke trips over and like hits his nose and it start bleeding everywhere and ashton sees but luke won't tell him bc he's scared and luke like can't stop crying but luckily the boys manage to calm him down and he ends up with a broken nose. just a thought, you don't have to use it, but lovely series that you write xxxx  
> ~ Tumblr anon
> 
> Again I'm sorry.

The following few days were akin to the cliché of a roller coaster ride for the four boys of the ARD Unit. Following the incident that shook group therapy, Clara Henderson was no longer employed with Happy Days Hospital. Her other previous transgressions had been brought to light, and many hadn't even been reported by Calum, Michael and Ashton. Tyler, Leoni and even Nick had all had their say in what they deemed unfair and cruel. Group therapy was now to be organised and carried out by Jack and Zack; something everyone was grateful for. That had been an 'up'.

That 'up' was followed by a series of 'down's. Shortly after the nightmare session, all four boys took a turn for the worst.

The scare of Luke's near catatonia had Michael's anxiety spiking every time the blonde wasn't within his eye line - be it direct or peripheral. Borderline terrified of finding Luke in that statuesque state again, the blue haired teen blatantly refused to be removed from Luke's side lest it be absolutely necessary. Consequently, Mikey's regular boisterous and loud personality had been swapped for overprotective and sometimes downright mirroring the disposition of a snarling guard dog; one who had accidentally snapped at more than one doctor. Hyper-vigilant, if the corners of the blonde boy's mouth so much as even turned down a fraction, Michael was by his side, cajoling and coaxing a smile - the whole time glaring at any potential causer of the frown.

Ashton's nightmares came back, stronger than before and combining old memories with new. He could barely sleep, and when he did it was only because the entire day had been spent under the influence of his rigorous routine; a routine he hadn't needed that strictly for around half a year. Snappy and occasionally cruel, the eldest of the ARD Unit wasn't pleasant to be around a lot of the time, and that fact in particular hurt Michael and Luke. Ashton's temper had shot up, and his patience straight down to virtually nonexistent, and unfortunately, Luke was the main target of his frustrations. The blonde tried to not let Ashton's attitude bother him too much, but it was difficult considering how much he relied on the older lad. Ashton's lack of sleep caused him to be irritable and sharp, two traits which reminded Luke of his life before Happy Days all too much.

Luke was suffering the worst by far. The blonde was barely eating, constantly pushing the food around his plate and only occasionally taking a bite. He'd failed his review yet again but couldn't bring himself to care. His night terrors were also ramping up to sometimes three a night, and naps were nearly impossible to take without a nightmare invading his head. He'd also gone silent once more, never speaking a word unless he absolutely felt there was no other way for someone to understand him. Michael hated that Luke had gotten so far only for it to crash down on them, especially as Luke had even stopped singing, near enough refusing altogether to even enter the music room. Ashton's cruel treatment of him didn't help the voices in his head, particularly the one that reminded him of the last few sentences that Clara had near enough screeched at him. He'd come so close to hurting himself again after that. He couldn't be more grateful for Zack and Rian firing her, but that didn't mean that all she'd done hadn't affected him. After coming round from his near catatonic state, he'd found himself pressed against Michael and he couldn't stop shaking. When the bruises Clara had pinched into his skin came to light, Luke can't think of a time he's ever seen anyone as angry as Calum, Mikey and Ash had looked. Ashton had gone deathly quiet, eyes boring into the black-purple marks dotted on his ribcage whereas Michael had hissed and muttered darkly, threats spewing from his mouth and all of them directed at the ex-GT leader. Calum's reaction had scared him the most though. The dark eyed boy had left the room, a crash sounding a moment later with a yelp of pain and the cracking of plasterboard. The three of them had followed after the yell of pain and they came to a stop about ten feet from a hole in the wall. Calum had been clutching his fist to his chest, the knuckles of that hand bloody and scraped, flakes of white paint clinging to his fingers.

Calum was probably faring the best if he was honest, but that didn't mean he found it easy. After punching a wall, his split open knuckles were taken care of by Rian, little butterfly stitches holding the skin together. He'd also been given a wrist brace - despite having not broken anything, the doctors wanted to be sure he hadn't damaged any ligaments or tendons in his hand and wrist; he knew he was lucky to have all of his fingers intact. Luke's renewed silence upset him as much as the others. The blonde boy's singing no longer graced their floor, and if he was honest it was causing all of them to fall into a slump. Calum appreciated the fact that it was his worry over his friends' behaviours that was making him sleep only every other night, but the tiredness was grating on him almost as much as on Ashton. The dark haired teen figured it was this development that led to him sitting with Tyler and Leoni on Floor 5 more often than he ever thought he would.

Surprisingly, after the scare in the Group Therapy lounge, Nick had started distancing himself from his usual group. Tyler and Leoni had been very accepting of him, especially since they'd known for a long time he was and always had been the least concerned with bothering Luke about anything.  
The first time Calum joined Lee and Ty while Nick was there too, the red headed lad had confessed that he'd always felt bad for the blonde boy. He himself had been there for about 10 months and was well on his way to being discharged thanks to the help of the hospital in managing his disorder, but he knew Luke had been there for years and struggled a lot with improving at all. Calum had nodded and given the older boy a smile, shaking his hand and introducing himself properly. Nick was alright, the rest of them he still wasn't too sure about. Yet with the way things were at the minute in the ARD Unit, he didn't know if he'd have to make some new friends, if only to stave off his own issues for a little longer.  
Calum knew he was being a little selfish, abandoning his friends - probably three of the best he'd ever had - but he knew that at least one of them had to stay positive and sane otherwise their floor would descend into who knows what. Between Ashton's hostility, Michael's increasing overbearing protectiveness and poor Luke's silent sadness, Calum needed the respite. He felt awful and guilt ridden, but he couldn't help but take the time away to just _breathe_. Tensions were high with his friends, but with Ty, Lee and even Nick he could relax and not worry.

Luke made his way down the corridor, coming back from a session with Zack and for the first time in a while, the youngest lad felt like he could breathe easy. The therapist hadn't pushed anything, letting Luke collect his thoughts for a solid, silent 20 minutes before he shakily reached for the pad and pen on the desk between them. If the blonde boy had caught the small but pleased smile on the older man's face he hadn't indicated anything, but internally Luke was happy he'd been able to make Zack smile. He'd known the man since he was 13 and not once had he pressured him into anything; Luke figured he'd always be immensely grateful to Zack for that.  
So lost in his thoughts as he was, he didn't feel his long limbs tangle together until a bright spark of pain lit up in his face, a whiteness clouding his vision as tears filled his eyes. Finding himself on the floor, Luke felt a wetness running over his mouth and dripping from his chin, so he raised a shaky hand to his face. As his fingertips made contact with his nose, he couldn't help but cry out in pain, attracting the attention of Ashton - the older lad poking his head round the doorframe of his room. The agony encompassing his face had Luke keening quietly, hands clutching his nose and tears now streaking his cheeks. Scarlet was puddling between his knees where he knelt on the floor. He looked up at the sound of approaching footsteps but his eyes were first drawn to the bloodied corner of the radiator attached to the corridor wall.

Ashton hurried his steps as he heard the high pitched sound Luke was letting out, concern overriding any question he could fathom as he skidded to a halt on his knees next to the blonde teen.  
"Lukey, let me look." He tried to pull Luke's fingers away, but at the terrified whimper that gained as more blood gushed forth, Ashton felt it best to leave the younger boy's hands where they were. "Come on, let's find Alex or Rian so they can patch you up. Then we'll find Mikey and Cal and have a group cuddle, yeah?"  
Ashton honestly wasn't expecting an answer, but he didn't anticipate the sudden sob that provoked. Gently and carefully (although there was no resistance due to Luke clinging to him as much as he could with no spare hands) he lifted the two of them from the floor and slowly manoeuvred them towards the elevator. Just as the reached the lift, the metal doors slid open and Mikey stepped out, humming anxiously to himself before stopping dead in his tracks at the sight before him.

He almost blew up. Almost. It was only that he realised Luke was huddling as close to Ashton as humanly possible which stopped him screaming at the older boy. If it wasn't for that fact, anyone could've easily assumed that Ashton had snapped and lashed out at Luke, smacking the youngest lad in the face out of insomnia induced irritation. Mikey broke out of his stupor, rushing to coddle the youngest boy in an attempt to ease the pain which constantly blossomed behind his eyes - his nose now numb.  
The two lads guided Luke into the elevator, soothing words being uttered to comfort and console, but they couldn't and wouldn't drown out the high pitched whimpers Luke was emitting. They stepped out onto Floor 5, ignoring the snickers coming from Chloe and Cameron, and the odd look shot at them from Maria as they made their way down the main corridor. Alex was just stepping out of his office, keys in hand to lock the door when he saw the approaching trio. Hearing Luke's keening, he held the door open and hurried the boys through into the triage half of the room.  
Michael took over holding Luke, pressing his nose into the blonde locks and murmuring soft comforts. Ashton removed himself from Luke's side, quickly filling Alex in on everything he knew. The doctor frowned a little, knowing how unlikely it was that Luke had told the oldest lad anything about what had happened to him, and how most of what Ashton was telling him was merely speculation.  
Alex was completely aware of the fact that Luke had once again gone silent, never uttering a word if he could help it and so he was surprised when Luke told him what had happened when asked.  
"Luke, I need to look at your nose, okay? I need to check if it's broken or just bruised and bleeding."  
Michael looked up, shifting slightly away from Luke to allow the man more access to his best friend's nose.  
"Lukey, Penguin, can you tell us what happened?" Mikey asked softly, gently rubbing circles on the blue eyed teen's back.  
Luke hitched a breath, still crying quietly before answering, "W-w-walk-ked down-n th-the hall an-an-and I t-tr-tripped over m-my own f-f-feet and-d le-legs. H-hit my f-f-ace on th-the radi-radiat-tor. H-hurts."

It took a few moments for Alex to deduce that Luke had in fact actually broken his nose, a piece of information that did nothing to quell the continuous stream of tears running down Luke's face. The fact that the blonde also sniffled to keep the bloodied snottiness at bay meant that his nose was constantly under pressure and in pain, only doubling the amount of tears.  
Michael had wrapped Luke in his arms whilst Alex reset the younger lad's nose, wincing at the loud crunch of bone grating against cartilage as the doctor carefully pushed it back into the correct position. The natural dark circles around Luke's eyes - typically caused by tiredness - had darkened to dark purple-black bruises, and the cut across the bridge of the blue eyed teen's nose had needed a butterfly stitch. Amongst the bruises, Luke's eyes were bloodshot and puffy, partly from crying and partly from the swelling created by face-planting the corner of the radiator. His cheeks were still stained and the salty tears only caused the tracks to turn pink in colour as the liquid mingled with the remaining blood under Luke's nose. As his whole face had hit the metal hard, he'd managed to bite his tongue as he fell, as well as splitting the skin of his lips in multiple places. He currently held an icepack to his mouth, trying to ease the pain there but it didn't stop the occasional whimper escaping him. Mikey hugged the blonde tighter to his chest, carding his fingers through the golden strands soothingly. It broke his heart that Luke was still crying.

Finally - after 20 minutes of pained whimpers and congested, unsuccessful sniffling - Alex finished his work and the three boys were let go, Ashton and Michael supporting a drowsy Luke between them. The blonde had been given painkillers, the effects of which were only just starting to take hold, leaving a very pliable and complacent Luke for the older lads to deal with. One saving grace had been that the blue eyed lad's keening had stopped once the meds kicked in, the quiet pained sound no longer shattering Ash and Mikey's hearts.  
As they manoeuvred their way around the obstacles lining the hallway from Alex's office to the elevator bank at the opposite end of the floor, Ashton spotted Calum chatting to Leoni and Tyler. He grimaced a little knowing that the culmination of everyone's conditions worsening was affecting Calum too. He obviously didn't begrudge the younger boy the quiet solace of hanging out with Ty and Lee, but when he also saw Nick was there a little doubt set in.  
Where Chloe and Cameron in particular tried to make Luke's life a worse hell than before, Nick had always been more distant. While he still jeered a little, and never said anything _against_ what came out of the three eldest members of the Youth Sector's mouths, he'd never outright done anything to harm Luke and if he was honest, it only made Ashton more wary of him. _Why is Calum hanging out with him as well? Have Ty and Lee not told him?_

Ashton shook his head and looked back when Luke made a sound of surprise.  
"What is it, Lukey?" Michael asked, following the blonde's eye line.  
Luke made the sound again and Ashton noticed Calum looking back at them now. He watched as the dark haired lad's eyes widened and he shot to his feet, darting to the door and rushing up to the trio.  
"Oh my god, what happened?" His hands came up to cup Luke's cheeks, turning his head from side to side to inspect the damage.  
"Hit his face on the radiator when he tripped over."  
By this point, Nick, Lee and Ty had all emerged from the music room too, expressions of concern on their faces. Ashton and Michael shot a sceptical look at Nick but brushed it off when Luke whimpered and jerked his head back.  
"Sorry sorry sorry, Lukey. Didn't mean to hurt you." Calum fretted, quickly letting go of Luke's face and stepping back a little.  
Michael smiled a fraction at the gesture, adjusting his hold of Luke and informing the rest of the hallway, "Alex said it's broken but shouldn't be too bad. He'll have to sleep upright for a bit but he's had painkillers. Hence why he's like this." He couldn't but chuckle as Luke's head came to rest on his shoulder lazily, the blonde hair tickling his cheek and chin.  
Calum nodded and the concern eased on everyone's faces. Leoni stepped forward and pressed a kiss to Luke's cheek gently, Tyler ruffling his hair; Nick had disappeared by this point, the door to the music room only ajar. Calum nodded once more then raised an eyebrow in question. Ashton shook his head softly, smiling and tilting it for his consent for Calum to follow the others back into the music room. At the furrowed eyebrows he received in response, the eldest of the ARD unit huffed and gestured with his head once more. Calum held his hands up in a sign of surrender then smiled warmly at the biddable Luke who Mikey was cuddling close to him. He took his leave, quietly shutting the door behind him once he was in the room.

It didn't take long for Ashton and Michael to get Luke tucked into bed. Propped up on his own pillows (with some extras from the supply cupboard down the hall) the youngest boy was surrounded by his penguins and had the blankets pulled up to cover his chest. His golden hair was laying limply on his forehead as his head rested tilted against the mound of cushions behind him.  
Ash and Mikey shared a fond look as congested snuffles filled the room, the pain medication doing its work and helping Luke actually get to sleep.  
The cut should heal up quickly due to how minor it was, and Alex had said the bruises should fade in two to three weeks. As for the time it took for his nose to heal, Luke would be able to take the painkillers as and when he needed them. Mikey readjusted the blanket so it was drawn under Luke's chin; Ashton caught a falling penguin - Mumble, he believed - and tucked it back into the crook Luke's elbow formed where his hand was laying on his stomach.  
Moving to the doorway, the older duo shot one more adoring look at the sleeping lad and then turned the light off, leaving the room in a comforting darkness. Just before Ashton shut the door, Michael murmured,  
"G'night, Penguin."

Calum laughed as Tyler told yet another story of his life outside the hospital. The older boy had so many about the times his sisters would tease and embarrass him and - because of Mali - he felt he could relate easily. He'd been down on Floor 5 for a couple of hours by this point and guilt was starting to eat at him a little. He smiled warmly, bidding the three others goodbye as he rose to his feet. Calum waved and left the room, whistling a Blink 182 song quietly as he walked.  
"Calum!"  
The tanned lad looked over his shoulder, slowing his pace as he saw Maria and Cameron coming towards him. The older two continued on their way, quickening their pace to catch up to him.  
"Hey?"  
"Hey yourself. How's things?" Maria asked him, a ridiculously pleasant look on her face. It was slightly unnerving if only for the fact her usual resting face was the stoniest he'd ever seen.  
"Um they're fine thanks. And for you guys?"  
"Not bad." Cameron cut in just a little too sharply for comfort, "What was up with Luke earlier?"  
"He's broken his nose. Fell and hit his face hard." Calum wasn't sure how much information to provide so he decided on not a lot and a little a vague.  
"Aww that sucks. Tell him we hope he's okay." Maria smiled sweetly at him, waving as she dragged Cameron off to where Chloe was emerging from the girls' rooms.  
The dark haired boy stood in slight shock for a while before shaking his head and moving to the elevators to make his way back up to his own floor.

He crept into the games room, spotting Ashton and Michael battling through an intense level of Destiny. He sat quietly, waiting until they'd completed the level before speaking up.  
"Hey guys."  
"Fucking hell, Cal!" Michael exclaimed, hand on his heart and wide eyed, "Scared the shit out of me."  
Ashton giggled at the younger teen's reaction and Michael glared at him. Calum chuckled - he'd missed it being like this, happy and cheerful instead of tense and concerned. Mikey pouted.  
"I'm gonna go cuddle Penguin, at least he won't be mean to me and laugh."  
"Oh, speaking of Lukey, Maria and Cameron asked me to tell him they hope he's okay."  
Silence.  
Mikey stopped dead in his tracks, turning and looking over his shoulder to exchange a look with Ash.  
"What did they want? They never give a shit about us - especially Luke unless it's to upset him or mock him. Why the fuck would they care about his nose?" The venom in the eldest lad's voice was almost tangible.  
Calum was startled by the pure hostility radiating from the two other boys in the room. "How bad can they be? They seemed alright to me."  
Michael shook his head, allowing Ashton to explain as he took his leave to go and cuddle with Luke.  
"Just trust us. Do not talk to them, do not listen to them, and do not hang out with them. They're not nice even if they seem to be." His voice lowered to a barely audible mumble (something Calum was sure he wasn't supposed to hear.) "We found that out the hard way."  
The dark haired boy nodded dumbly, watching the dark cloud on Ashton's face lift as he picked up one of the controllers; he handed the other one to Calum with a smug grin.

_What the hell just happened?_


	13. NOT A CHAPTER - STILL AN UPDATE

Okay so here's a little update about my life:

~ School is a bitch. I don't know how many of you reading this live in the UK, but I'm currently doing A-levels so if any of you know how hard they can be, that's why I don't have a lot of time to update.

~ I have a lot of commitments I need to uphold. I have a job which takes up about 7.5 hours of my week AFTER college night I add. I'm a psychology mentor for a year 10 class (I think that's 9th grade??) and I'm a reading mentor as well. I'm also a leading cadet at my cadet unit, and a member of the school council so I have a lot of things to do, again meaning I don't have a lot of time to update but I am trying.

~ Sometimes I get writer's block and it can be really bad, hence why I don't update. The prompt or my chapter plan can be super detailed and still I sometimes can't write anything of what I deem to be my standard quality.

~ On another note, I'm insecure as fuck okay, so every time I see a comment, even if it's a prompt, it make me happier knowing that people are enjoying my work and me spending time of this. Even if the comment literally says "I like this chapter", I'll be grinning like an idiot because I actually people like what I'm doing. I'm needy and want people to tell me they like me okay?

 

On another note completely, about the tidbits and maybe another work, I'm thinking of starting a Q&A type section to it.

People can comment a question they have, be it about the work as a whole and me writing it (I don't know how to word that thought well) or the characters, or the hospital, or the reasons why, etc. and then I'll answer them on here so everyone can see the answers about them. So yeah :)


	14. Cause A Scene Like You're Supposed To

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> OKAY SO I KNOW I'M A PIECE OF SHIT AND I SHOULD'VE UPDATED AGES AGO BUT I GOT CAUGHT UP WITH BOTH PERSONAL ISSUES AND OTHER STUFF HAPPENING.
> 
> Enough with the yelling from me. I'm going on holiday tomorrow so won't be able to update properly until I'm back, so here have half a chapter. Like this is already 2k+ and it's half...
> 
> I feel so bad for being so crappy at updating but I'm working on it. My motivation and inspiration is coming back slowly so hopefully I'll write a bit more on holiday and when I'm back home.
> 
> If you guys want to leave me nice messages and/or prompts and/or questions (even if it's just as a nice birthday treat for me) then I will not be offended ;)
> 
> So okay here's a little something

Just over a week had gone by since the face-meet-radiator incident, and Luke's nose - while still tender and prone to bleeding - was looking better. The bruising around his eyes had faded to a mottled blue-green smudge instead of the stark purple rings which had been there before, and his mouth had healed up completely. He still wasn't speaking, but the startled baby deer look had left his eyes and his quiet laughs could be heard again when Michael poked at his ribs.

Ashton had been sleeping a lot more, naps replacing the hours lost at night and with Luke as a teddy bear when the younger boy was tired as well. His sunny disposition had returned, and he took great pleasure in provoking Michael into his mini rage fits by purposely screwing them over in whatever co-op game they were playing.

While still over-protective, Michael was able to let Luke do his own thing when he needed to without biting the ends of his fingers off, or pulling at the skin of his lower lip until he drew blood. He'd relaxed immensely, his boisterous behaviour returning bit by bit - helped along by Ashton purposefully trying when playing FIFA and scoring goals; Michael was not appreciative of the effort being put into beating him.

Calum still spent time with Ty, Lee and Nick, not wanting to completely abandon them despite everything on Floor 6 settling down again. He tried to keep the split even but found himself being drawn back towards his best friends more often than not. The others didn't mind, they'd even told him so, Leoni smiling at him gently and kissing his cheek, causing redness to spread across his nose to his ears in a flaming horizontal stripe. Tyler laughed loudly at that.

One thing that had changed completely though was Group Therapy. Gone was some of the constant underlying tension, undoubtably relieved by Clara's absence, and instead a much lighter and cheerier atmosphere filled the room. No one could deny that Zack and Jack made an amazing team. Zack had all the experience of the necessary therapist, while Jack's role as activity coordinator melded perfectly so the activities were actually enjoyable rather than a drag. Various therapy techniques were combined with different games and sessions to try and meld together something which worked without seeming to. Everyone was opening up to one another - even Maria's typically stony features had softened and she seemed to distance herself from her typical group. Nick welcomed her again with metaphorical open arms, grinning at her as she sat down next to him instead of Chloe.

One thing that everyone had noticed, however, were Chloe and Cameron's attitudes towards Calum. Whereas before they were completely indifferent and disinterested, now they always had a smile and cheerful greeting for the dark haired lad whenever they crossed paths - be it in the hallway before group therapy, or trips to the doctors' offices on Floor 5. These interactions of course didn't go unnoticed by Michael and Ashton, both of whom were wary and suspicious of underlying intentions, keeping an eye on anything involving Luke or Calum.

The drastic change in behaviour hadn't gone unseen by Jack and Zack either; despite not normally ones for gossiping, the shift in dynamics amongst the Youth Sector had been the main discussion topic over lunch between the four members of staff. They too were concerned, particularly for the effect they suspected it would have on Luke and Michael, and consequently Ashton. While Rian was adamant that close monitoring would prevent a meltdown, Alex's overprotective streak argued that something like what they were currently dealing with would be unpredictable and could end in a disaster. After everything, they really didn't need any more relapses.

Calum and Ashton walked down the corridor towards the music room, Michael trailing behind a little with his arms full with snacks. They'd taken a trip downstairs to get some food - to last them during the spontaneously decided upon movie afternoon - while Luke was in his therapy session. Heading towards the music room, where they'd agreed with Luke to be for when he came back, the boys were a little surprised to hear the strumming of a guitar.

It seemed they'd come in just after a chorus. Nudging the door open quietly, Ashton poked his head in and smiled as he saw Luke bobbing his head to the music. He held the door open, gesturing for the others to be quiet so they could listen. It was quite a jaunty tune, a strange element of cheeriness to it that contradicted the following lyrics.

"I heard that you've been, having some trouble finding your place in the world. I know how much that hurts. But if you need a friend, then please just say the word."  
The older boys exchanged glances, smiling at one another before focusing back on Luke.  
"You've come this far, you're all cleaned up, you've made a mess again. There's no more trying, time to sort yourself out..." Luke paused, almost seeming to deliberate on adding something before floating into what they assumed to be the chorus, "Hold on tight. This ride is a wild one. Make no mistake, the day will come when you can't cover up what you've done. Now don't lose your fight, kid. It only takes a little push to pull on through. With so much left to do, you'll be missing out, and we'll be missing you."

Luke set his guitar down and scribbled something into his notebook. He looked up, seeing his friends standing in the doorway, grinning like idiots. Luke felt his face heating up and he looked at his lap; he couldn't hide his flaming ears though.  
"How long have you been hiding that one from us, Lukey?" Michael asked, stepping fully into the room and dropping his burden on the sofa. He dove down next to Luke, wrapping an arm around the skinny shoulders and pulling the blonde into his side.  
Luke shrugged in response, looking up again as he heard Calum and Ashton shift to come and join them. The two older boys sat opposite to him and Michael on the floor, Calum putting down the drinks bottles he was previously holding.  
"Well I for one am very pleased to hear you singing again." Calum stated, poking Luke in the knee gently.  
"Agreed. We've missed your voice, Lukey." Ash continued where Calum left off, poking Luke's other kneecap.  
Luke blushed a little more, face flushed a rosy pink and his ears a fiery red. He whispered softly, "Th-thanks."  
Michael nosed at Luke's hair, snuffling slightly before pulling back and suggesting, "How about we get to that movie afternoon now, yeah?"  
At the three nods and two 'yeah!'s he received, Michael jumped up, leading the way to the TV.

Several movies later, each of the boys had fallen asleep at least once. Luke was pressed between Calum and Michael, head on Calum's shoulder and legs slung over Michael's lap. Ashton snuggled up to Calum's back, one arm looped around his waist and fingers messing with the soft cotton fabric of Luke's t-shirt. They hadn't moved aside from one of them stretching away to grab a drink or a bite to eat for the past hour - Hot Fuzz playing quietly in the background. Both Luke and Calum were asleep, their hair colours contrasting even in the darkness of the room where Calum's head rested atop Luke's. It was comfy and peaceful, not one of them wanting to move. Michael turned his head lazily to the door when he heard it open, shooting Alex and Rian a sleepy smile. His brows creased however when he saw Zack standing behind them with a contemplative frown on his face.

"What's wrong?"  
"Why are you assuming something has to be wrong?"  
"Because you're all here. Well, except Jack, but not the point."  
At Michael's tone, Ashton peered over the two sleeping boys then sat up straighter. He nudged Calum gently, the younger lad startling out of his light doze easily enough. He murmured quietly for him to wake up Luke and stood up, stretching out the ache in his spine. Calum did as he was asked, unable to help chuckling as Luke grumbled at being woken up.  
Alex turned the light on, wincing as all four of the boys did. He looked at Rian and Zack, smirking where the teenagers couldn't see, as if to ask who was going to take the lead. Rian stepped up to the metaphorical plate.

"Boys, you remember a while ago we hired a case worker to see what we could do about the new Youth Sector regulations?" He continued after receiving four nods, "Well, whilst we've been dealing with some... 'Staff changes', she's been busy working. If you guys are up for it, she's here to visit you guys and let you know what's happening."  
Rian waited to see if any of them would clock on to what he wasn't saying. Judging by Ashton's little smile, at least one of them had.  
"Sure, let her in. Wait! Let us clean up a bit first." Calum went red at the state of the room, getting up first to start separating what had food left and what didn't. The other three got up to help and with Zack and Alex assisting while Rian went to get Ms. Carlson, the room was presentable enough in only five minutes.

Ellen Carlson was dressed more casually than she was on her first visit; skinny black trousers (which could've been jeans) and a loose, white chiffon shirt matched with some plain white flats. To the boys, she looked just like the mum she said she was. Her hair was pulled back into a loose bun, and her bag hung from her shoulder. As she walked in, she smiled at each teen individually. "Hi boys."  
Ashton answered first, "Hi Ms. Carlson. How are you?"  
"I'm good, thank you. How about yourselves?"  
"Better than before." Michael said, returning the lady's warm smile.  
She nodded, smiling again at Calum and Luke before setting her bag down and pulling out a light brown folder. She quickly flicked through, pulling out the letter with the red stamp of approval.  
Handing it over to Ashton, she watched as the boy read through the document, a huge grin lighting up his features.

Calum and Michael peered over his shoulder, trying to read whatever it was that had made Ash grin like a lunatic. All they had to see was the word "APPROVED" in bold, red lettering to realise what the outcome was.  
"So the Youth Sector is still up to 21? Ash doesn't have to move?" Michael asked quietly, gripping onto Luke's hand in hand excitement.  
"That's right. I presented the case, and since this hospital has had so much success with the Youth going up to 21, they've agreed to leaving this one alone. They passed the approval and this place no longer has to abide by that particular national regulation." Ellen smiled, laughing as the boys whooped and cheered, jumping on top of one another and celebrating. She looked over her shoulder and saw the exact same fondness written on the doctors' faces.

They couldn't believe it. They really couldn't believe it. Michael and Calum gripped onto Ashton tightly, the oldest lad himself having wrapped his arms around Luke who'd pressed his face tightly against Ashton's neck. They all stopped jumping, just taking a minute to stay huddled close together. Almost as one they sighed and pulled back, three of the four going red at the fond and slightly silly smiles the staff members were directing at them.  
Luke stepped forward, smiling softly and offering a hug to Ellen. The woman's smile widened and she took the blonde boy in her arms. Despite him being quite a bit taller than her, he was so skinny that Ellen easily folded him into her embrace. He'd hooked his chin over shoulder and she felt her eyes grow slightly misty at the utmost sincerity lacing his heartfelt, "Th-thank y-you for l-l-letting Ash-shton s-stay."  
"You're very, very welcome, sweetie." She murmured back. She turned them slightly as Luke pulled away to see what the other boys' reactions were. They seemed shocked, but pleased, and Michael instantly held an arm out to wrap around Luke's waist when he returned to them. Looking over her shoulder, she saw the same surprise plastered on the doctors' faces before they too shook themselves out of it.  
After a few more minutes, she took her leave. The boys waved her off, calling out a couple more 'thank you's and offers for her to visit if she ever feels like it; she promised she would, and she might also bring her son to meet them and the doctors again. They settled back onto the sofas, all prepared to watch some more movies when Alex said the dreaded words.  
"Luke? It's time for a review, bud."

TBC...


	15. I am so sorry...

Oh boy where do I even start. I guess with “sorry”.

Sorry to anyone who thought this might be a new chapter. 

This is kinda hard for me to write so bear with me.

Since getting a job (which is full time, 35 hours a week) and picking up new studying, and other commitments on top of all that, it is extremely hard for me to just sit and write the way I used to. I’m acting like anything I did even constituted as decent quality fiction, fan or otherwise, but you get what I mean. I used to be able to sit in a double free period after spending 20 minutes doing homework and write for the remaining hour and a bit. I can’t do that anymore.

I’ve lost track of what I’ve covered and what I’ve not and to be honest why I started in the first place. I’m one of those people who gets disheartened if they’re not constantly validated on things they work on.

I noticed this was getting a muted response from people, not really here, I mean the amount of hits and kudos and comments are astounding to me, but wattpad (which I made on a request) and tumblr weren't getting much of a kick.

I do really want to get back into writing, and recent-ish events have caused me to need that sort of outlet again.

I’m not saying I’m gonna get back to how regular(ish) I was before, but I’m gonna try. I’m currently reading through the whole thing, partly to see how much I cringe at my writing (I mean I started it 2 years ago wtf) but also to get back into the style of the story and the length and the prompts as well.

So this is sort of an update, sort of an apology.


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